ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The University of New Mexico women’s track and field team begins the 2020 indoor season ranked ninth in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field National TFRI Team Summary, as revealed by the USTFCCCA on Wednesday.
The standing ties the highest preseason ranking in program history on either the men’s or women’s side, matching the 2019 preseason ranking. In 2019, the women finished the season ranked fifth following a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
The Lobos earned the ranking with a TFRI team total score of 78.12, finishing just 0.06 points behind No. 8 South Carolina and 15.42 points ahead of No. 10 Kentucky.
Southern California took the top ranking with 152.50 points followed by defending champion Arkansas with 122.94 points.
The TFRI took in to account last season’s indoor scored bests as well as the current season scored bests, meaning the Lobos received points from the December Boston Opener and gave point values based on the finishes.
UNM returns to competition at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Collegiate Invitational on Jan. 24 at the Albuquerque Convention Center. The two-day meet will mark the first of four consecutive home meets for the Lobos.
In addition, UNM will host the Mountain West Indoor Championships from Feb. 27 to Feb. 29 as well as the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships from March 13 to 14, where many of the top student-athletes among the best teams in the country will compete. Tickets are available to purchase HERE.