Colorado State University Athletics
Rams' men ranked No. 15 entering conference action
5/8/2017 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
USTFCCCA Release
NEW ORLEANS -- The Colorado State men's track & field team enters this week's Mountain West Outdoor Track & Field Championships ranked 15th in the most recent U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division I Men's Outdoor Track & Field National Team Rankings. The organization released its week six rankings on Monday.
Colorado State's men's team is ranked by the USTFCCCA for the sixth consecutive week after debuting in this season's rankings at No. 21 in week one. The Rams were ranked as high as at No. 11 in week five, their best outdoor ranking from the USTFCCCA in program history. The Rams also peaked at No. 8 during the 2016-17 indoor season, their best indoor ranking in program history.
The CSU men receive 122.02 points in the USTFCCCA's week six computer rankings. CSU is the highest ranked team outside of the "Power Five" conferences on either of the women's or men's sides (No. 20 BYU women), and is the only Mountain West team to be ranked in the top 25 on either of the men's or women's sides.
The USTFCCCA calculates its computer rankings using only times and marks recorded during the current season. Student-athletes garner greater amounts of points toward a team's total on the basis of higher rankings in their respective events and by how their marks and times stack up this season and historically.
Mostafa Hassan, who contributes the largest points total to CSU's team total, broke the Jack Christiansen Track record in the shot put with a mark of 67-8.25 (20.63m). Hassan's best shot put mark came at the Mt. SAC Relays, where he won the elite invitational with a mark of 69-11 (21.31m). Hassan continues to lead the NCAA by over two and a half feet, and ranks fifth in the world this outdoor season.
Entering this weekend's conference meet, Jefferson Abbey ranks fourth in the nation in the 5,000 meters, while Jerrell Mock is ranked fourth nationally in the 10,000 meters. Abbey ran his program-record 5,000 meters time of 13:37.23 at the Stanford Invitational in March. Mock followed with his 10,000 meters time of 28:11.80, also a program record, at the same meet. Grant Fischer joins Mock in the national mix in the 10,000 meters, ranking 11th with his time of 28:45.83 at the Stanford Invitational.
Each of Cole Rockhold (1,500 meters) and Hunter Price (decathlon) also rank eighth in the nation in their respective events to round out the men's team's top performers this season. Rockhold clocked a 1,500 meters time of 3:41.04 at the Bryan Clay Invite, while Price broke the previous 35-year-old CSU decathlon record with a score of 7,801 at the Mt. SAC/California Invitational Combined Events.
The Colorado State track & field team will compete in the 2017 Mountain West Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Logan, Utah from Wednesday, May 10 through Saturday, May 13. The conference meet is hosted by Utah State at Ralph Maughan Track Stadium, and will be streamed live by the Mountain West Network.
