Women's Track Climbs to No. 14 in USTFCCCA Rankings
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The 14th-ranked University of New Mexico women’s track & field team climbed into the top 25 of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Outdoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings released Monday.
Behind their vaunted group of distance runners, the Lobo women’s team registered its first top-25 appearance since 2016 as it achieved its second-highest ranking in program history, behind only a No. 12 ranking set during that 2016 season.
Overall, this is the 18th week in program history that the New Mexico women have been ranked top 25, and the fourth week all-time that they were ranked within the top 15.
The rankings are calculated using athlete’s best marks from only this season, plus superior preseason marks in the 50000 and 10,000 meter runs and the combined events.
The UNM women combined to tally 122.59 points and are the nation’s top-ranked women’s team from a non-Power Five conference.
Four athletes contributed the bulk of the team’s points, with Ednah Kurgat, Alice Wright, Weini Kelati and Charlotte Prouse all chipping in over 28 points each.
Kurgat, the NCAA leader in the 5000, leads the bunch with her time of 15:20.06 that netted 32.95 points.
Wright added 26.57 points from her season best and school record of 32:15.73 in the 10,000, while also contributing 3.48 points from her 2017 best of 15:45.87 in the 5000.
Kelati and Prouse also posted significant points. Kelati added 28.63 points with her third-ranked time of 15:22.71 in the 5000 and her 20th-ranked time of 4:16.28 in the 1500, while Prouse added 28.39 points with her time of 9:50.47 in the 3000 steeplechase.
Ada’ora Chigbo also added 0.10 points with her mark of 5 feet, 9 ¾ inches in the high jump.
The New Mexico men, behind The Bowerman Watch List member Josh Kerr and his collegiate record of 3:35.01 in the 1500, are ranked 56th in the men’s version of the rankings.
The Lobos return to action on Wednesday with the opening of the Mountain West Championships, which runs through Saturday, May 12, at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis, California.
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