ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The 12th-ranked University of New Mexico women’s track & field team tied its highest ranking ever in Monday’s edition of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Outdoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings.
Behind their vaunted group of distance runners, the Lobo women’s team climbed up two spots from last week’s outdoor track & field rankings to match their all-time best rank of No. 12 set prior to the 2016 Mountain West Championships.
Overall, this is the 19th week in program history that the New Mexico women have been ranked top 25, and the fifth week all-time that they were ranked within the top 15.
No. 1??2??
It’s the highest ranking ever for the New Mexico women in outdoor track & field! #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/sMsy5EXhbs
— New Mexico XC/T&F (@UNMLoboXCTF) May 14, 2018
The rankings are calculated using athlete’s best marks from only this season, plus superior preseason marks in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs.
The UNM women combined to tally 155.74 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 26 points each.
Kurgat, the NCAA leader in the 5000, leads the bunch with stellar marks in the 5000 and 10K. Her nation-leading and school-record time of 15:20.06 in the 5000 merited 32.81 points, while her sixth-ranked time of 32:31.55 netted 21.59 points.
Kelati added 28.50 points from her season best of 15:22.71 in the 5000, while also contributing 15.29 points from her best of 32:41.92 in the 10,000 and another 1.89 points from her best of 4:16.28 in the 1500.
Wright and Prouse also posted significant points. Wright added 26.29 points with her fourth-ranked and school-record time of 32:15.73 in the 5000 and her 21st-ranked time of 15:45.87 set last year in the 5000. Prouse added 26.16 points with her time of four-ranked 9:50.47 in the 3000 steeplechase.
Kyra Mohns also added 0.25 points with her mark of 5,391 points in the heptathlon.
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 58th in the men’s version of the rankings.
The Lobos return to action next week as they compete at the NCAA West Preliminary Round in Sacramento, California.
Fans can follow @UNMLoboXCTF on Twitter and Instagram to keep track of the Lobos!