Washington men move to number 14 in latest USTFCCCA D1 indoor rankings index...
 |
| UW'S Jimmy Rhoads' vault of 19-1 (5.82m) remains the number one mark in NCAA Division I (Paul Merca photo) |
NEW ORLEANS--Despite being idle last week, the University of Washington men's and women's squads had movement in the latest USTFCCCA Division I Track & Field Rating Index released Tuesday.
The Washington men moved up to number 14 in the rankings index from number 17 last week, while the Husky women's squad dropped from number 12 to number 18 in this week's index.
The nation's top five men's teams are in order: Kansas State, Tennessee, Oregon, Texas A&M, and Penn State.
Other B1G Ten men's teams in the national top 25 include number 13 Illinois, number 16 USC, number 17 Iowa, and number 25 Nebraska.
Illinois retains its spot as the nation's number one women's team, followed in order by Georgia, South Carolina, USC and BYU. USC was the biggest mover, going from number 29 to number 4.
B1G Ten schools in the top 25 include number 8 Oregon, number 12 Nebraska, number 20 Penn State, number 21 Minnesota, and number 25 UCLA.
In Division II, Central Washington's women's squad moved up one spot to number 14, while Western Washington moved up six positions to number 17 in the index.
The Wildcats scored four national top 20 marks at the Riverfront Invitational and Multis in Spokane last week.
Leading the charge was Elise Hopper at number 7 in the 200, where she ran 24.07.
Hopper ran the anchor on their school record 4 x 400 relay team that clocked 3:46.37, which is the number 9 time in the country. She also ran 55.17 in the 400, which is ranked number 14 in the country.
Ashlyn Nielsen was behind Hopper in the 200 at Riverfront, running 24.19, which is ranked number 11. Nielsen also ran the leadoff leg on the 4 x 400 relay that Hopper anchored, with Donna Marie Harris and Carley Huber running the second and third legs.
Western Washington's rise to the number 17 spot was fueled by three national top 20 marks at the Wolf Pack Classic in Reno over the weekend.
For the second week in a row, the Vikings' team of Casie Kleine, Jayda Darroch, Kennedy Cook and Bec Bennett broke the school record in the 4 x 400 relay, running 3:42.58 (altitude adjusted for ranking purposes to 3:43.02). That mark is the number 2 time in the country.
Bennett ran 53.47 in the 400 (altitude adjusted to 53.58), the number 3 time in the country. In the same meet, Cook ran 55.36 (altitude adjusted to 55.47) in the 400 for the number 20 mark so far this season.
Pittsburg State, West Texas A&M, Grand Valley State, Minnesota State, and Adams State are the top five women's Division II teams in the index.
Simon Fraser is the only other women's team from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in the national top 25, checking in at number 6.
No teams from the GNAC are ranked in the national top 25 men's index.
The nation's top five men's teams in Division II are in order: Wingate, Grand Valley State, Pittsburg State, Adams State and Minnesota State.
USA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN NEW YORK...
In a press release Tuesday, USA Track & Field announced that the 2026 Toyota USATF Outdoor and Para National Championships will come to New York City.
The meet will be contested on July 23-26 at Icahn Stadium at Randall's Island Park, which seats 5000 spectators, and has the capability to add more temporary seating.
The USATF Outdoor Championships have been held annually since 1993, but never in New York City. The last national track and field championship to be held in New York was the 1991 Athletics Congress of the USA Championship which was held at Downing Stadium, the site of the current Icahn Stadium.
Since 2021, The USATF Outdoor Championships have been held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. It was the site of the inaugural combined able-bodied and para championship in 2025. Both will return to Eugene in 2027.
Qualifying standards for the 2026 Toyota USATF Outdoor and Para National Championships will be announced in the coming weeks. The event will be broadcast live on NBC Saturday and Sunday July 25-26. It will be streamed on USATF.tv July 23-24. Tickets will be available in the spring.
STUFF WE MISSED OVER THE WEEKEND...
At the World Indoor Tour Gold Meeting in Madrid last Saturday, John Rivera of the Brooks Beasts finished fifth in the men's 1000.
Rivera, a native of Puerto Rico, ran 2:17.92, as Mohamed Attaoui of Spain won in 2:14.52.
It was a bit of a rough go for Washington alum Kieran Lumb, as he finished eighth in the men's 3000.
Lumb, who is now based in Norway, ran 7:57.77, as Tshepo Tshite of South Africa took the win in 7:39.11.
FORMER HUSKY SAM TANNER NOW AN ON RUNNING ATHLETE...
If the social media posts are true, it appears that former Husky and two time New Zealand Olympian Sam Tanner's days at Puma are over.
In a post by DyeStat, Tanner, who is also the training partner of fellow Kiwi and teen mile sensation Sam Ruthe, is pictured wearing an On Running kit.
Tanner has not officially announced his move to the Swiss athletic shoe company, but all signs lead to him heading to On. Tanner signed with Puma after competing in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, and foregoing his remaining eligibility at Washington to go pro.
Tanner is entered in the mile at this weekend's ASICS Sound Invite in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
NOTE: USTFCCCA, Sound Running, DyeStat, and the sports information offices of Washington, Central Washington, and Western Washington ontributed to this report.
paulmerca.blogspot.com may receive a commission for any purchases made from links clicked. Please support this site and our sponsors by clicking on the links. You can also support the site by clicking the yellow "Buy Me A Coffee" link below.
Comments