2019 NCAA DI Women’s Indoor Track & Field Rating Index – Week 6
NEW ORLEANS – Conference Championships Weekend has come and gone and the top team in the country remained the same as it has all season in the latest edition of the NCAA Division I Women’s Indoor Track & Field National Rating Index released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday.
As teams spent the weekend battling for conference glory, that means that the 2019 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships are just days away. Indoor nationals will take place March 8-9 at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama.
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NATIONAL TFRI PDFs: TEAM SUMMARY | EVENT SUMMARY |
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TFRI scored by USTFCCCA region |
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For the seventh week in a row, Arkansas is the top team in the nation which sets a new program record for time spent in the No. 1 spot during a single-season. The Razorbacks can tie their overall program record of eight consecutive weeks (achieved between the 2015 and 2016 seasons) in the top spot with the final TFRI next week.
Arkansas captured its fifth consecutive and ninth SEC Indoor title over the weekend. Individual conference title winners included Kelsey Herman (pentathlon), Taylor Werner (3000 and 5000), Lexi Jacobus (pole vault), Lauren Gregory (mile), Payton Chadwick (60H) and the Razorbacks’ DMR team.
Slotting in behind them at No. 2 was Southern California after it too won its conference championships.
The Trojans captured their fifth MPSF team title in the past six years. Conference titles went to Dior Hall (200), Lanae-Tava Thomas (long jump), Angie Annelus (60), Kyra Constantine (400), Chanel Brissett (60H) and the units 4×400 team.
Next up at No. 3 is LSU after a fifth-place finish at the SEC Championships. It is a one-spot improvement from the previous week.
Individual conference crowns went to Kortnei Johnson (60) and Abby O’Donoghue (high jump) as the team registered 58 points.
Advancing three spots to move into the top-5 was No. 4 Florida after a fourth-place finish at the SEC Championships.
Yanis David (long and triple jump) was the Gators lone individual title winner but she did it in impressive fashion, becoming the fourth woman in conference history to sweep the long and triple jumps.
Remaining it place was No. 5 New Mexico after a fifth-place showing at the Mountain West Championships.
Weini Kelati (mile) was the only conference title winner as she set the new school and conference record in the event. Last week was the first time in program history New Mexico has cracked the top-5 as the Lobos tied their program best.
Rounding out the rest of the top-10 was No. 6 Oregon, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 8 Georgia, No. 9 Kentucky and No. 10 Texas A&M.
Georgia and No. 11 Texas A&M saw the largest improvement of top-25 teams as each improved 15 spots from the previous edition of the index. No. 13 Miami (Fla.) also saw a gain of 14. Georgia finished seventh at the SEC Championships while Texas A&M placed second overall. Miami won the ACC Championship for the third time in four indoor seasons.
The biggest gain overall was taken by No. 61 Nevada who jumped 67 spots after after a ninth-place finish at the Mountain West Championships.
This week also featured the largest amount of previously unranked teams to enter the index. Ten new programs joined the rankings in this edition of the ratings, led by No. 97 Fresno State.
The final National Track & Field Rating Index for the 2019 indoor season will be released on Monday, March 4 prior to the NCAA Championships that weekend.
