USTFCCCA RELEASE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The University of New Mexico women’s track and field team held its No. 5 ranking in the latest poll released by the USTFCCCA on Tuesday morning.
The women picked up 93.21 points in the Track and Field National Rating Index, finishing just 0.12 points behind No. 4 Florida, but 5.75 points ahead of No. 6 Oregon.
It is the second week that the Lobos ranked fifth in the NCAA, which last week marked the first time in program history that the Lobos were ranked in the top 5.
UNM earned 5.10 points more than last week’s rankings on the backs of the Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships this past weekend.
Adding to the team total this week was Charlotte Prouse’s and Adva Cohen’s 3000-meter runs on Feb. 21, and an adjustment of Weini Kelati’s mile score after she broke the school and MW meet record with her time of 4:31.70 (altitude converted).
The Lobos are the highest-ranked Mountain West team, with the next team Boise State dropping three spots in the latest team ranking to 12th with 62.71 points.
UNM has moved up in the rating index since the first week’s rankings were released in which the Lobos were 11th, spending two consecutive weeks at eighth before moving up to seventh in week four and eventually moving up into fifth, where they have remained the last two weeks.
Overall, the Lobos have spent six weeks in the top 10 and two weeks in the top 5. UNM started the season ranked ninth in the preseason poll.
Arkansas has held the top spot for the entirety of the indoor season.
UNM will learn what athletes will officially qualify for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships to be held March 8 and 9 in Birmingham, Ala., later today.