UNM Women Seventh in USTFCCCA Ranking
EVENT RANKINGS | TEAM SUMMARY | USTFCCCA RELEASE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The University of New Mexico women’s track and field team improved one spot in the latest USTFCCCA National TFRI (Track and Field Rating Index) released on Monday, garnering 88.38 points in the latest team summary.
The Lobos trailed Florida by just 0.56 points for the No. 6 spot and were 9.36 points ahead of No. 8 Penn State. UNM improved 0.05 points since the last release a week ago to move up a spot in the rankings.
Mountain West school Boise State ranked 10th, tallying 58.52 points in the track and field rating index.
In addition, the women were ranked as the No. 1 event squad in the mile, the 3000-meters and the 5000-meters, holding their ranking in the mile and 5000-meters from last week but going from unranked to first in the 3000m.
A large reason for the change in position both nationally and in the 3000-meter was due to the success of the distance runners over the weekend.
Weini Kelati led the Lobos in her 3,000-meter race at the Millrose Games, running a 8:53.98 to break the UNM program record in the event. Her time was 5.79 seconds better than her previous personal best in the event and 3.49 seconds faster than the previous school record set by current Lobo Ednah Kurgat.
Kelati’s time currently is the third-fastest time in the NCAA, just .07 seconds behind the second-fastest time run by Oregon’s Jessica Hull. Alicia Monson of Wisconsin holds the fastest time in the NCAA this season with an 8:45.97 that she ran in the same event at the Millrose Games as Kelati to win the event.
At the Husky Classic on Friday, Kurgat ran 8:59.78, which ranks as the eighth-best time run this season in the NCAA. The Lobos have a total of four runners in the top-20 times in the 3000-meter with Hannah Nuttall 18th with 9:07.64 and Adva Cohen 20th at 9:08.40.
UNM concluded its regular season this past weekend and will resume competition on Thursday, Feb. 21 at the Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships held at the Albuquerque Convention Center.