UW women start 2024 campaign ranked number 23 in initial USTFCCCA ranking index...
The Huskies, who last competed on January 13th, are led in this week's rankings by Carley Thomas (Paul Merca photo), whose personal best of 4:30.38 in the mile to win the UW Indoor Preview, is currently the number 2 mark in NCAA Division I so far this season.
Washington's other top ten mark is from freshman pole vaulter Hana Moll, who cleared 14-1.25 (4.30m) at last month's Spokane Invitational.
Moll's mark of 14-6.25 (4.43m) at the UCS National Pole Vault Summit on January 12th, does not count for NCAA Division I ranking purposes, but does count for World Athletics ranking points. Her mark from the Pole Vault Summit would be the second best in NCAA D1 but doesn't count as the pole vault is the only event contested.
The national women's top five teams are in order: Illinois, Arkansas, Florida, USC, and Texas A&M.
Other Pac-12 teams (all listed by the USTFCCCA as Independents as the conference doesn't sponsor indoor track) in the top 25 include number 8 Oregon.
On the men's side, Washington stands outside the top 25, as their only top 10 marks are from Luke Houser in the 3000 at 7:40.40, which is ranked number 4, and by long jumper Prestin Artis, whose leap of 25-10 (7.87m) is sixth in NCAA D1.
The nation's top five men's squads are in order: Texas Tech, Texas, Northern Arizona, USC, and Kentucky.
Stanford at number 21 is the only other Pac-12 team in the national top 25.
In Division II, the Central Washington women's team is the only team in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in either ranking index, coming in at number 15.
The Wildcats are led by E'Lexis Hollis, who ran 7.38 at last month's Spokane Invitational. CWU also has two athletes currently ranked number 4 in Division II in high jumper Emy Ntekpere, who cleared 5-8.5 (1.74m) at the Spokane Invitational, and freshman Lauryn McGough, who cleared a school record 13-3.5 (4.05m) at the Spokane Indoor Challenge two weeks ago.
For Central Washington, this marks the highest ranking for the team since week 3 of the 2019 season, when the Wildcats were ranked number 16.
The nation's top five women's teams in Division II are in order: Minnesota State, Adams State, Pittsburg State, Grand Valley State, and Academy of Art.
MISCELLANEOUS STUFF FROM THE WEEKEND...
At last Saturday's Martin Luther King Jr. Collegiate Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico, former Husky Jack Rowe of Great Britain dropped down in distance and finished third in the mile.
Rowe, whose previous indoor mile best was 4:13.90, dropped it down to 3:59.82, making it the first time he's broken 4 undercover. He does have an outdoor personal best of 3:58.76, set in 2021.
The former Husky is in Albuquerque for a few weeks training at altitude.
Courtesy of Puma Elite Running, here's slides from the meet (Rowe is in slide 2)
NOTE: The USTFCCCA and Puma Elite Running contributed to this report.
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