2020 NCAA DI Women’s Indoor Track & Field Rating Index – Week 1
NEW ORLEANS – The first few weeks of indoor competition has caused some changes to 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 Monday.
The top-5 has some familiar faces from the preseason and now welcomes Kentucky, as the Wildcats moves into the top-5 for the fourth straight season.
NCAA Division I — Women's Indoor Track & Field
This Week's National Top Five
1
Southern California
Southern California
2
Georgia
Georgia
3
Arkansas
Arkansas
4
Texas
Texas
5
Kentucky
Kentucky
All TFRI Reports
Southern California held down the top spot from the preseason. Twanisha Terry leads the charge for the Trojans with the No. 3 performance of the season in the 60 and ranked No. 11 in the 200, while Bailey Lear sits at No. 5 in the 400. This is the second consecutive week Southern California is ranked No. 1, and the first time during the regular season in program history.
Georgia jumped ahead of Arkansas for the No. 2 spot. The Bulldogs have been a force in the field events with with top-5 performances across four events. Anna Hall and Shelby Tyler are tied for third and fourth in the high jump, respectively, while Jasmine Moore is fourth in the triple and fifth in the long jump. Georgia also boasts the fourth fastest 4×400 relay of the young season.
Arkansas, now No. 3 in this week’s rankings, boast some strong performances in the distance events. Katie Izzo owns the top time in the 5000 and is No. 8 in the mile, while Carina Viljoen also owns a pair of top-5 rankings in the 3000 (No. 4) and the mile (No. 5).
Texas remained unchanged from the preseason and sits at No. 4. Julien Alfred became the seventh fastest performer in collegiate history in the 60 after turning in a time of 7.10 at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Collegiate Invitational. She also owns the sixth fastest time of the year in the 200. Also supporting the Longhorns with No. 2 rankings is Kennedy Simon in the 400 and Kathryn Gillespie in the mile.
Kentucky moved up to No. 5 with numerous top marks from the Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational. The Wildcats have four national leaders – Abby Steiner in the 200 and Alexis Holmes in the 400, Ellen Ekholm in the high jump, and the 4×400 relay. Dajor Miles and Megan Moss are also ranked No. 4 in the 200 and 400, respectively.
Jumping ten spots to No. 6 is LSU thanks to strong performances in the sprints and jumps. Tonea Marshall leads the nation in the 60 Hurdles thanks to her 7.83 effort that makes her the third best performer in collegiate history. The Tigers have also seen strong performances in the jumps. Abigail O’Donoghue sits at No. 2 in the high jump and Mercy Abire has the No. 2 long jump in the nation, while Lisa Gunnarsson is tied for third in the pole vault.
The biggest jump from the preseason to this week’s rankings came from Ole Miss, who soared 48 spots from No. 68 to No. 21. The Rebels own three of the top-5 marks in the weight throw thanks to the performances of Shey Taiwo (No. 1), Jasmine Mitchell (No. 2) and Deborah Bulai (No. 5). Brandee Presley is also ranked fifth nationally in the 60.
The National Rating Index will begin to come out on a weekly basis, with the next installment being released Monday, February 3.
