About that USTFCCA poll

I have been asked what I think about the new regional and national rankings. (Warning: I'm not sure their links are all correct.)

Not only do they look nice and fancy, but I like the idea. We all know the Westerns and the Abilenes of the world will top the national polls, but good squads vying for the top 10 can get obscured. These teams are reflected in the regional polls.

Winning a conference title is important, winning a regional title is important and winning a national title is important. It depends on what your goals are.

But I'm willing to bet if a team sets a goal of winning a regional title (and it's not the power-packed Central, where a strong Metro State squad is merely ranked 6th!), they'll get to nationals, perhaps finish out of the money and realize they want to aspire to more.

So while I may joke about Armstrong Atlantic State adding a cross-country squad to balance out their tennis program and meet equity concerns, I am interested to see if Columbus State and Clayton State can challenge Queens (N.C.) for the Southeast region title.

My only complaint is that the association should be more transparent who is voting. Otherwise, nice job USTFCCCA!