Women’s Track & Field Ranked Program-Best 10th
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The 10th-ranked University of New Mexico women’s track & field team achieved its highest ranking in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Indoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings released Monday.
Behind their vaunted group of distance runners, the Lobo women’s team broke into the top 10 for the first time in program history, eclipsing the team’s previous top rank of No. 23 set during the 2016 season.
Overall, this is the fifth week in program history that the New Mexico women have been ranked top 25, with all coming since 2015.
“To be ranked in front of four Big 10 schools, four SEC schools and three Big 12 schools is quite an honor,” New Mexico head coach Joe Franklin said. “It shows our women’s team is continuing to make progress transitioning from cross country to indoor track.”
The rankings, which credit the Lobos with 61.87 points, are calculated using athlete’s best marks from only this season.
For the previous four sets of rankings released this season, the rankings were based on athletes’ performances in events from the beginning of the 2018 indoor season (which officially started December 1, 2017) and the 2017 indoor season.
However, counting just this season’s marks, the Lobos come in as the nation’s top-ranked women’s team from a non-Power Five conference.
The Bowerman Watch List member Ednah Kurgat leads New Mexico in the rankings, contributing 41.30 points to the squad’s total.
She currently ranks second in the NCAA in the 5,000-meter run with her time of 15:19.03 (good for 21.07 points), third in the 3000 (8:54.47 for 17.44 points) and ninth in the mile run (4:35.29 for 2.79 points).
Weini Kelati also adds significantly to the Lobos’ standing with her third-ranked time of 15:37.03 in the 5000 (17.38 points) and her 26th-ranked time of 9:08.38 in the 3000 (0.28)
Also contributing are Alice Wright in the 5000 (15:46.85 for 2.00 points), Ada’ora Chigbo in the high jump (5 feet, 10 ¾ inches for 0.80 points), Charlotte Prouse in the 5000 (16:01.15 for 0.08 points) and Alondra Negron Texidor in the mile (4:40.52 for 0.04 points).
The Lobo men, behind The Bowerman Watch List member Josh Kerr and his best of 3:54.72 in the mile run, are ranked 35th in the men’s version of the rankings.
New Mexico is off this week as the team prepares to host the Mountain West Indoor Championships February 22-24 at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Fans can follow @UNMLoboXCTF on Twitter and Instagram to keep track of the Lobos!