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How the first USTFCCCA rankings predict the women’s champion

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The national ratings index from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) gives a glimpse at the best teams every week leading up to the Division I outdoor championships. When the first rankings are revealed each year, it brings excitement and anticipation. But how likely is it that the first rankings are a true indicator of who will win that year’s championship?

We took a look at the history of the women’s rankings and here’s what we found.

How the first USTFCCCA rankings predict the champion

For the sake of this article LSU’s 2012 title is not recognized because its participation in the championships was vacated by the NCAA Committee on infractions

The history of the rankings

To understand the correlation between the USTFCCCA rankings and the national champion, one must first understand the history of the rankings.

The USTFCCCA began its outdoor track and field season rankings in 2008. The first rankings came during the preseason for outdoor track and field, a tradition that would continue through 2019.

Then the 2020 outdoor track and field season got canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After a year’s absence, the rankings returned in 2021 and for the first time, the USTFCCCA began the season with Week 1 rankings rather than preseason rankings. In 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 Week 1 again kicked off the season’s rankings.

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Behind the first No. 1

With each year’s initial rankings comes a team ranked in the top spot. But how is the first No.1 picked? 

From the rankings from 2008-19 — back when the first rankings were still in the preseason — it’s concluded that the first No. 1 team in the country was determined based on the prior season’s finish in the championships and returning talent.

Three times, including the latter two years of Texas A&M’s three-peat from 2009-11, was the defending champion named preseason No. 1. Another three times, the preseason No. 1 was the previous year’s runner-up. In fact, every preseason No. 1 finished within the top four of NCAA championship scoring in the year prior for the first 13 years of the ratings.

It wasn’t until 2022’s Week 1 ranking that Texas broke the mold, jumping from its seventh-place finish a year before. Then in 2023 and 2024, defending champions Florida and Texas were unranked in Week 1’s poll which came just 16 days after indoor championships. In 2025, defending champion Arkansas opened at No. 12 in Week 1.

Year First No. 1 Prior Year Finish
2008 LSU Runner-up
2009 Texas A&M Third
2010 Texas A&M Champion
2011 Texas A&M Champion
2013 Kansas Fourth
2014 Texas A&M Runner-up
2015 Texas A&M Third
2016 LSU Fourth
2017 Oregon Runner-up
2018 Arkansas Third
2019 Southern California Champion
2021 LSU N/A
2022 Texas Seventh
2023 LSU Fourth
2024 LSU Seventh
2025 Southern California Tenth

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What does it all mean?

It means that the team selected to the No. 1 spot in the first rankings of the season more often than not has a proven track record of success. The first teams to land the top spot in the rankings deserve it, but that doesn’t always mean they can go wire to wire.

Yet, with more and more teams waiting to start run their best runners in their outdoor openers until after Week 1 — allowing more rest from the indoor season — the preseason rankings begin to carry less weight.

Where were the champions ranked to start the season?

From 2008-2021, no team won the women’s outdoor track and field championship after starting the season ranked outside of the top four. In 2022, Florida became the first non-top four team to win the title after starting the season at No. 5. In 2023, Texas became the first team from outside of the top-25 (No. 80) to win the title. In 2024, Arkansas became the first unranked team from the first rankings to win the title. In 2025, Georgia broke the recent trend, winning the title after opening the season ranked No. 6.

In seven out of the 16 eligible years through 2024, the year’s women’s outdoor champion started the season ranked first overall.

That means 44 percent of the time the first USTFCCCA rankings will let you know who the national champion will be, simply by looking at the No. 1 team. However, the No. 2 team in the first rankings has NEVER won the national championship. Only once has the No. 3 team to start the season, 2016 Arkansas, won the title, while the No. 4 team has won the title an impressive four times since the USTFCCCA rankings began.

Year Champion Initial Ranking
2008 LSU 1
2009 Texas A&M 1
2010 Texas A&M 1
2011 Texas A&M 1
2013 Kansas 1
2014 Texas A&M 1
2015 Oregon 4
2016 Arkansas 3
2017 Oregon 1
2018 Southern California 4
2019 Arkansas 4
2021 Southern California 4
2022 Florida 5
2023 Texas 80
2024 Arkansas NR
2025 Georgia 6

🏆: Here are the DI track and field teams with most NCAA championships

What happened to the No. 1s that didn’t win the title?

Nine times the teams ranked No. 1 in the first ranking did not win the title. The No. 1 team has not won the title in any of the last seven years and all nine have come in the last decade, with Oregon’s 2017 season being the lone outlier. Listed below are the preseason/first No. 1’s to not win the title and where they finished at the championships.

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What does history say for the future seasons?

The history of the first USTFCCCA rankings is good news for whatever team kicks off the season with the top spot in the Week 1 rankings. Said team will have a little less than a 50-50 shot at the title.

The ranking’s history is not so good news for the No. 2 team in the season’s first national ratings index. Meanwhile, the third and fourth and fourth ranked teams should have high hopes.



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2025 StarNews All Area Volleyball teams

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December 24, 2025

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Dec. 24, 2025, 4:01 a.m. ET

It took Norah Davis just one season in a Vikings uniform to cement her place among Wilmington’s elite.

The junior outside hitter made a seamless transition to Hoggard this season after transferring from Coastal Christian, where she established herself as one of the area’s most dominant attackers. Davis had 287 kills in her breakout campaign for the Centurians in 2024.

She brought that same firepower with her to Hoggard and immediately elevated a Vikings team hungry to reclaim its spot atop the Carolina Coast Conference.

Davis finished the fall with a conference-best 317 kills as the Vikings rolled to a 26-4 record. Her production, consistency and ability to deliver in big moments earned her StarNews All-Area Girls Volleyball Player of the Year honors, the first of her career and the first for a Hoggard player since 2021.

Hoggard's #3 Norah Davis spikes the ball as Hoggard took on Broughton in the 2nd round of the playoffs Oct .21, 2025 2025 at Hoggard High School. KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS

Hoggard capped its season with a second-round playoff appearance, a run fueled in part by its dominance over rival Topsail. The Vikings defeated the Pirates three times, reclaiming the conference crown from their Hampstead neighbors and asserting control over the league.

Davis saved some of her best performances for those matchups. All three of her top outings in 2025 came against Topsail, including a 20-kill effort in the Vikings’ Sept. 4 win, a season-high 23 kills on Sept. 30, and another 19-kill performance in the conference tournament championship on Oct. 15.



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Coming home: Neilson tabbed as new BYU women’s volleyball coach | News, Sports, Jobs

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December 24, 2025

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PROVO, Utah — BYU Director of Athletics Brian Santiago has announced the hiring of Rob Neilson as the seventh head women’s volleyball coach in BYU history.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rob Neilson back to BYU as our head women’s volleyball coach,” Santiago said. “Rob has been a part of a rich history at BYU, both as a player and coach on the men’s side, highlighted by winning a national championship. He is a proven winner, as evidenced by his experience as a head coach at Utah State and as an assistant coach for the USA National Team. We are excited to have Rob lead our BYU women’s volleyball program and exceptional student-athletes into the future.”

A setter at BYU from 2003-06, Neilson was part of the Cougars’ 2004 national championship team. He compiled a 91-31 record in his collegiate career. He tallied 2,790 assists, ranking fifth in BYU’s rally-scoring era record book upon graduation, and finished eighth in solo blocks with 28.

“Coaching at BYU is a dream come true,” Neilson said. “This is a distinguished university, with storied volleyball programs, built by amazing student-athletes, incredible coaches and a community that’s all in. I’m honored to continue that legacy with our women’s team. Thank you to the board of trustees, President Reese, Brian Santiago, Chad Lewis and the search committee. I’m excited to get to work preparing for great things as we hurl our challenge to all foes. Rise and shout. Let’s go.”

Neilson has spent the past six seasons as head coach at Utah State, posting a 112-59 (.655) record in Logan. Most recently, he led the Aggies to a historic 2025 campaign, finishing 24-8 overall with an 18-0 mark in Mountain West Conference play, winning the Mountain West Tournament title and recording a first-round upset of No. 7 seed Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament, Utah State’s first tournament win since 2001.

During his tenure, the Aggies captured three Mountain West regular-season championships (2021, 2023, 2025) and two Mountain West Tournament titles (2022, 2025). Neilson was named Mountain West Coach of the Year three times (2021, 2023, 2025) and earned AVCA Pacific North Region Coach of the Year honors in 2023.

Neilson coached 12 all-conference honorees, three all-region selections and one All-American, while guiding Utah State to winning records in five of his six seasons and three NCAA Tournament appearances. He is just the third coach in program history to reach the 100-win milestone and the first to do so since 1978.

Prior to his time in Logan, Neilson served as the first assistant coach with the U.S. Men’s National Team, helping Team USA earn a bronze medal at the 2018 World Championships and a silver medal at the 2019 Volleyball Nations League.

Before joining USA Volleyball, Neilson spent 10 seasons on the BYU men’s volleyball staff. He served as an assistant coach from 2006-10, acting as recruiting coordinator and overseeing player development. Neilson was BYU’s interim head coach in 2011, returned as an assistant in 2012 and was named associate head coach in 2014. During that span, he helped lead the Cougars to two conference championships and a national runner-up finish in 2013.

Neilson earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from BYU in 2006 and completed an MBA in 2013. He and his wife, Sarah, have five children.

The Rob Nielson File

  • Played setter for BYU men’s volleyball team (2003-06)
  • Assistant coach, BYU men’s volleyball (2006-2010, 2012-2014)
  • Interim head coach, BYU men’s volleyball (2011)
  • First Assistant, USA Men’s National Team (2014-2019)
  • Head coach of Utah State women’s volleyball team (2020-2025)

Copyright © 2025 Ogden Newspapers of Utah, LLC | www.heraldextra.com | 1200 Towne Centre Blvd. STE 1058, Provo, UT 84601



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Slidell’s Danny Tullis is headed to Mandeville | St. Tammany community news

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December 24, 2025

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Danny Tullis is quick to talk about the importance of three things in his life: God, family and volleyball.

He has coached his two daughters, Ali and Ansley, at Pope John Paul II, while his son, Collin, is a standout player at the club level.

In his past three seasons at Slidell, the 53-year-old amassed a 110-17 record, including back-to-back titles. He guided Slidell to uncharted success, but now the eight-time state champion is on the move again.

Tullis will take over the Mandeville volleyball program from Rachel Schulingkamp, who stepped down after this past season. The move will reunite Tullis with Ansley, who is an assistant coach for the Skippers.

“My family has been talking about moving for a while, and with my daughter being over there, I thought I could come over and teach PE with her. So, I’ll get the chance to work with her all day in the classroom and after school. Then my other daughter (Ali) will be closer to Southeastern, so she can finish up. It just makes sense for us to move this way,” Tullis said.

“From a volleyball standpoint, it’s another challenge. I’m always interested in whether I can do this or that. I think Mandeville has a good base of kids who play club (ball) and who have played for a long time. It’ll be interesting to see what we can do there.”

Tullis boasts a 793-179 career record and has won a total of eight state titles at three schools (Fontainebleau, Pope John Paul II and Slidell).

“I think it is going to be a new, fun experience,” Tullis said. “My family is everything to me, and even though Ali was assisting me at Slidell, she wasn’t working with me at the school. So, it’s just a little bit different. It felt like it was a good move for my family.”

Ali will also serve as an assistant, as will Rachel Battistella, who has been with Tullis at both PJP II and Slidell. Collin Tullis will be the team manager.

“We try to make it a family affair everywhere that we go,” Tullis said.

His first coaching job was at Northshore as an assistant coach under Sandy Blanchard for one season. Then, he was the head coach at Salmen for six years. He moved to Fontainebleau for a seven-year run that included a state title in 2011. Then came the move to Pope John Paul II in 2013 that resulted in five state titles from 2014-19 — a period in which the Jaguars were consistently ranked among the top prep teams in the nation.

Slidell offered solace to Tullis during his greatest adversity as he joined the Tigers after the 2022 season, which was marred by the death of his oldest son, Christian, the night before the 2022 state championship match.

Tullis credited Slidell principal George Herdliska for supporting him this past season, saying the entire school played an important role in winning a second straight state title.

“Me leaving has absolutely nothing to do with Coach Herdliska. He was amazing to me. He did everything that I could ask for. It just came down to the fact that I wanted to work with my daughter,” Tullis said.

Mandeville will be his third stop in the past five years, but Tullis said that is not a reflection on any of those schools.

“I’m not saying there’s not value in staying in the same place for your entire coaching career, but I have enjoyed everywhere I have been,” Tullis said. “I think change is refreshing and kind of rejuvenates you a little bit. My daughter is at Mandeville, so it’s just a special opportunity for me and my family.”

Tullis will finish out the school year teaching PE at Slidell before moving to Mandeville. He said he will continue to coach club volleyball at WD Nation.

Mandeville principal Christian Monson said the choice to hire Tullis was easy.

“We’re excited to announce Danny Tullis as the next volleyball coach,” Monson said. “Rachel Schulingkamp has done a great job, but she approached me right as the season ended and made a decision that was best for her family with three small kids. We hired Ansley Tullis to be an assistant coach this past season, and Danny’s desire to coach with his daughter is a big plus for him.

“We look forward to building a championship-caliber program and are excited for our future Skippers.”

Mandeville won its lone state title in 2005, and the Skippers were state runners-up in 2004, 2006 and 2015. The last time they qualified for the state tournament in Lafayette was in 2022.



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Season in Review: Culture Leads to Special Season for Volleyball

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December 24, 2025

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RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team enjoyed incredible success in the 2025 season. 
 
The Vaqueros won the program’s fourth conference title as they dominated in their second season competing in the Southland Conference (SLC), going 15-1 to claim the regular season championship. They went 22-8 overall, earning the second-most wins in program history. They won 16 consecutive matches, notching a new program best for longest winning streak. They saw a record number of fans fill the UTRGV Fieldhouse to support the squad during its impressive run. 
 
The individual accomplishments were just as numerous as the team ones. Head coach Todd Lowery was named the Katrinka Jo Crawford SLC Coach of the Year – one of four superlatives and 10 total all-conference honors collected by UTRGV this season, leading all teams in the conference in postseason awards for the second consecutive year. Junior Isabella Costantini earned her second SLC Setter of the Year title, while sophomore outside hitter Martina Franco was named the Newcomer of the Year and outside hitter Dimitra Nanou was tabbed Freshman of the Year. 
 
Costantini, Franco and Nanou earned First Team All-Conference recognition while junior libero Celianiz Cabranes, junior outside hitter Nadine Zech and redshirt sophomore middle blocker Julianna Bryant made Second Team All-Conference. 
 
Since the preseason practices in early August, Lowery knew his gym was packed with talent and potential. But the Vaqueros were also starting the 2025 campaign with only three consistent starters from the previous season and nine completely new players on the roster. 
 
The first month of the season was filled with ups and downs as Lowery and his coaching staff put the pieces of the puzzle together. UTRGV mixed up lineups and saw many players get reps in different spots as early bang-ups caused some changes to rotations. 
 
Throughout four non-conference tournaments, Lowery said the Vaqueros were either really good or really bad with not much in between. Seven of UTRGV’s first 11 matches were decided in three sets – if the Vaqueros came out sharp, they swept their way to victory, but when things were bumpy, they got swept just as quickly. They played some competitive matches against future top 50 and tournament teams such as UTEP, James Madison and Texas State. 
 
UTRGV split Week 1 of the SLC season, sweeping Lamar at home before dropping an extremely tight match at Stephen F. Austin, 3-2. Something clicked after that loss in Nacogdoches. The Vaqueros didn’t hang their heads after the match – instead, Lowery said, seeing how close they were that early in the season to knocking off the perennial power showed the team how high their ceiling was. They knew they had things to work on, but they also saw that they were ahead of schedule in terms of their goals for 2025, and they used that as motivation to find another level of play. 
 
“We talked tournament run all year long because that’s where we thought we’d be. Our goal was to be playing our best volleyball at the end of the year, but they were able to mesh together so quickly and things started falling in place after that SFA match,” Lowery said. “We saw flashes, at times, where we were really, really good. The girls were never shaken up by the early losses. They exposed some things to work on and the girls took those things as challenges.” 
 

After starting the year 6-7, the Vaqueros stacked up 16 wins in a row. They closed the regular season with a 14-match winning streak to earn the No. 2 seed in the SLC Tournament. They dominated the first two rounds of the tournament, sweeping Houston Christian and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to set up a championship bout of destiny against SFA. UTRGV came up short in the title match, but they came out of it hungrier than ever. 
 
“We felt like it was a coin toss going into that match. It’s always going to be a battle for us against SFA. I think now that we’ve been in the championship, we’ll be mentally more prepared. I think the moment got to us a little bit this year, but I think having so many pieces back, we’ll take care of that next year,” Lowery said. 
 
In the locker room after the match and in end-of-year meetings with the coaching staff, the Vaqueros players talked about two things: how determined they are to build on the 2025 success and how fun this season was. 
 
That response encapsulates the culture UTRGV established this fall. The Vaqueros had a special season because they truly enjoyed playing together and going to work every day. They were determined to get better for the team more than for their individual goals. Players dutifully stepped up or stepped aside as rotations changed based on the hot hand, and even when someone was on the sideline instead of on the court for a few matches, they cheered for their teammates and continued to compete in practice as if they were the starter. 
 
The selfless play and encouraging environment led to outstanding play. The Vaqueros hit over .400 as a team in five matches, including tabbing two of the most efficient performances in program history as they hit .471 at McNeese and .463 at Nicholls, taking the third and fourth spots in the record books for best single-match hitting percentage. UTRGV had three hitters with 200+ kills and six players who scored 2.24 points per set or better, with senior right side Valentina Sarti Cipriani and junior middle blocker Aaliyah Snead contributing at a high rate along with the four attackers who earned all-conference honors.  
 
The team accomplishments, the individual accolades, the records set; it all amounted to a season UTRGV will look back on with pride. It was fun. It was special. It was program-shifting, but not just because of the success. The culture established in 2025 – one of genuine fun and dedication and support in a team-first environment – was the key to the historic season, and the Vaqueros will hold that key tight and use it to unlock even more potential with a veteran group next season. 

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Meet the Rapid City Journal’s 2025 Best of the Black Hills volleyball team

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WholeHogSports Athletes of the Year: Arkansas Razorbacks had 4 of nation’s best in 2025

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WholeHogSports Athletes of the Year: Arkansas Razorbacks had 4 of nation’s best in 2025 | Whole Hog Sports

















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