ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico women’s track & field team debuted at No. 25 in the nation in the preseason edition of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Team Computer Rankings released Wednesday.
At No. 25, the women’s team has achieved its highest ranking all-time in the USTFCCCA’s preseason rankings for indoor track & field, and sits just two slots behind its program-record rank of No. 23 set during the 2016 season.
Overall, this is the fourth week in program history that the New Mexico women have been ranked top 25, with all coming since 2015.
The preseason USTFCCCA rankings, which credit the Lobos with 31.33 points, are 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.
The distance trio of Ednah Kurgat, Weini Kelati and Alice Wright has contributed all of the Lobos’ points, with all three posting tremendous marks in the 5,000-meter run at the BU Season Opener on December 2.
Kurgat set the UNM and Mountain West records in the 5,000 with a time of 15 minutes, 19.03 seconds, while Kelati finished with a time of 15:37.03 and Wright a time of 15:46.85.
All three broke the previous UNM 5K standard of 15:54.29 set by Natalie Gray in 2011, while Kurgat both set the Mountain West and ranks sixth in the NCAA history.
Kurgat’s time contributes 20.46 points to the Lobos’ tally of 31.33 points, with Kelati’s mark adding 8.98 and Wright’s 1.89.
The Lobo men, behind The Bowerman Preseason Watch List member Josh Kerr and his 2017 best of 3:58.04 in the mile run, are ranked 70th in the men’s version of the rankings.
New Mexico opens up its indoor season next weekend as it hosts the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational on January 19-20 at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Fans can follow @UNMLoboXCTF on Twitter and Instagram to keep track of the Lobos!