The University of Southern Indiana men’s cross country/track & field program is ranked ninth in the final U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association Damon Martin Program of the Year standings.
The Program of the Year Award is given annually to the most outstanding cross country/track & field programs. It honors the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year (spanning the cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field seasons) based on the institution’s finish at the NCAA Championships.
In order to be eligible for the award, teams must qualify for each of the NCAA Championships. Scoring is based on the team’s finish at each NCAA Championship in cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field (i.e. first = one point, second = two points, etc.) with the lowest total score for all three championships combined determining the award recipient. Ties among schools split points for positions taken.
After posting a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships in November, the Screaming Eagles followed by tying for 13th at the NCAA II Indoor Track & Field Championships and tied for 67th with one point at the NCAA II Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
USI’s 94.5 points in the updated standings saw the Eagles finish 15 points behind Lee University (Tennessee). After tying for 67th with USI at the NCAA II Outdoor Championships, Colorado School of Mines rounded out the top-10 with 110.5 points.
Leading the way Is Adams State University with 21 total points and a first place finish at the NCAA II Cross Country Championships, while Grand Valley State University and Missouri Southern State University
The ninth-place finish in the Program of the Year standings marks the fourth-consecutive year the Eagles have finished in the top-10. Last year, USI was seventh, while they finished fourth in the Program of the Year standings in 2014-15 and were third in 2013-14. The Eagles debuted in the Program of the Year standings in 2012-13, when they finished 11th.
