USTFCCCA Slots KU Women at No. 2 in Preseason Rankings

Jan. 8, 2013

2013 Preseason Indoor Rankings

NCAA Track & Field Rankings

USTFCCCA Preseason Rankings No. School Conf. Final ’12 1. Clemson ACC 5 2. KANSAS Big 12 2 3. Oregon Pac 12 1 4. LSU SEC 3 5. Florida SEC 9 6. Texas A&M SEC 5 7. Arkansas SEC 5 8. Iowa St. Big 12 10 9. California Pac 12 15 10. Washington Pac 12 23 11. Central Florida C-USA 8 12. Arizona Pac 12 11 13. Stanford Pac 12 13 14. Texas Big 12 4 15. Baylor Big 12 16 16. Wisconsin Big Ten 21 17. Georgia SEC 28 18. Indiana State Mo. Valley 34 19. Michigan Big Ten 61 20. San Diego St. Mt. West 48 21. Nebraska Big Ten 55 22. Illinois Big Ten 48 23. Michigan St. Big Ten 23 24. Auburn SEC 48 25. Illinois St. Mo. Valley 18

LAWRENCE, Kan. – With the return of two NCAA champions as well as nine of 10 All-Americans from a year ago, the University of Kansas women’s track & field team earned a spot on the annual U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) preseason indoor national rankings list. The Jayhawks are ranked second in the nation entering the 2013 campaign, the highest preseason ranking for any Kansas team – men’s or women’s – since the rankings began in 2008.

Kansas returns all of its scorers from the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships, which helped lead the team to a runner-up finish. 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, who also finished third in the triple jump at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June, already leads the NCAA in the event this season after jumping 13.16 meters (43-2.25 ft.) last weekend at the Bill Easton Classic.

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.

Another Jayhawk has already leap-frogged to the top of the national list in her event. Junior transfer Natalia Bartnovskaya came to KU after two-consecutive NJCAA pole vault championships with Vincennes University (Ind.). Bartnovskaya sits at No. 1 in the event this season after clearing 4.12 meters (13-6.25 ft.) last weekend at the Bill Easton Classic.

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.

The Jayhawks will continue their early-season schedule on Friday, Jan. 11, as they host the Jayhawk 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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