BLACKSBURG – Preseason accolades are beginning to roll in, as the Virginia Tech men’s track and field team will start the 2017 indoor season in the top 25 of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason Indoor National Team Computer Rankings released on Monday afternoon.
Florida enters as the preseason favorite, securing 151.28 points in the poll, with defending national champion Oregon (140.45) checking in second. LSU (123.55) and Arkansas (99.02) sit in third and fourth, respectively, followed by Syracuse in fifth (78.15).
The Hokie men are one of three Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) teams ranked in the top 25. Syracuse completes the top five, while Virginia Tech checks in at No. 16 (52.26), followed by in-state rival Virginia at No. 19 (44.50).
The scores were determined by using preseason event rankings that include the top marks of recent NCAA indoor track and field seasons by returning student-athletes, as well as the top marks of the young 2017 campaign. Marks from the outdoor season are not included, nor are marks from incoming freshmen.
The 2016 season, led by 16-year coach Dave Cianelli, saw the Hokie men place fifth at the ACC Indoor Championships and 15th at the NCAA Indoor Championships, respectively. Former Tech standout Tommy Curtin led the way with a second-place finish in the 5,000-meter run at the NCAAs, followed by rising sophomore Deakin Volz’s third-place finish in the pole vault event.
Of note, the 2017 squad returns two first-team indoor All-Americans (Volz and Hanna Green).
The Hokies open their 2017 campaign in four short days, as they play host to the Virginia Tech Invitational on Jan. 13-14, at Rector Field House, in Blacksburg.
PRESEASON CENTRAL:
Throws Preview: Open Discussion with coach Jack
Sprints Preview: Open Discussion with coach Vaught
Jumps Preview: Open Discussion with coach Zalewski
Pole Vault Preview: Open Discussion with coach Phillips
Distance Preview: Open Discussion with coach Thomas