Kansas Women Ranked No. 3 in Track & Field News Preseason Rankings
Jan. 3, 2013
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LAWRENCE, Kan. – With the return of two NCAA champions as well as nine of the 10 All-Americans from a year ago, the University of Kansas women’s track & field team ranks third on Track & Field News’ Collegiate Dual Meet Preseason Rankings it was announced Thursday.
Headlining the stacked 2013 squad are NCAA Indoor National Champions Diamond Dixon and Andrea Geubelle. Dixon, a junior, is a three-time Big 12 Champion in the 400 meters and anchored last year’s 4×400-meter relay team to an indoor and outdoor conference title before going on to win 4×400-meter gold at the London Olympics. Geubelle won the indoor and outdoor triple jump conference titles last season before being named a first team All-American four times in 2012. The senior also finished third in the triple jump at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June.
Also returning on the women’s side is senior sprinter Paris Daniels, who leads the nation in both the 60 meters and 200 meters after an outstanding performance at KU’s season-opening meet, The Bob Timmons Challenge. Daniels was the outdoor 200 meter Big 12 champion in 2012 as well as a First Team All-American in the event.
Other returning All-Americans primed to make an impact this season are senior thrower Heather Bergmann, senior long jumper Francine Simpson, senior thrower Alena Krechyk, junior pole vaulter Demi Payne and senior sprinters Taylor Washington and Denesha Morris.
Track & Field News’ dual meet rankings, compiled by Jesse Squire of tracksuperfan.com, are a revival of annual rankings presented from 1970 through 1995. Dual meets, once the back bone of the collegiate season, nearly disappeared in the ’90s and 2000s but have made a return, and with them have come the rankings. To be considered for the rankings, a team must compete in at least one dual meet during the indoor season, using T&FN’s definition of a “dual meet” as a scored competition among four or fewer teams.
The Jayhawks will continue their early season schedule on Jan. 5, as they host the Bill Easton Classic inside Anschutz Pavilion. The first events are slated to begin at 1 p.m. For information and updates throughout the day visit KUAthletics.com and follow on Twitter at KU_Track. A live feed with play-by-play and color analysis will be available to subscribers of AT&T Jayhawk All-Access. Subscriptions start at $9.95.
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