NEW ORLEANS, La. --- The Tusculum University men's indoor track & field team is ranked 21st in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II Rating Index for the week ending March 6.

The Pioneers moved up three spots in the final ratings prior to the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championship, which will be held Friday and Saturday, March 11-12 in Pittsburg, Kansas. This week's ratings are based on declared entries for the championship, and serve as a preview for nationals.

Tusculum moved up three positions to 21st with 36.88 points, with senior sprinter Widchard Guervil accounting for 35.25 of the points. Guervil is seeded third in both the 60 meters (6.69 seconds) and 200 meters (21.13 seconds) in the Division II Championship. Junior Zackary Nelson is seeded 14th in the 400 meters with a converted time of 47.73 seconds and earned 1.63 points in the USTFCCCA ratings.

The top four teams are unchanged in the Rating Index from last week, led by host Pittsburg State at 204.92 points followed by Grand Valley State (156.11), West Texas A&M (143.89), Colorado School of Mines (131.79) and Central Missouri (124.34) in fifth.

Joining Tusculum from the Southeast Region is SAC champion Queens, which has 48.46 points among five competitors and is ranked 18th.

Guervil and Nelson will run in preliminaries in their respective events on Friday, starting with the 60 at 4 p.m. and followed by the 400 at 5 p.m. and the 200 at 6:15 p.m. (all times Eastern). Finals in the 60 meters are Saturday at 6:20 p.m., with the 400 finals at 7 p.m. and the 200 finals at 7:45 p.m. (all times Eastern).