KU Women Jump into USTFCCCA Track & Field Rankings

Feb. 7, 2012

National Track and Field Rankings

USTFCCCA Weekly Rankings No. School Conf. Last 1. Oregon Pac 12 1 2. LSU SEC 2 3. Clemson ACC 4 4. Arkansas SEC 3 5. UCF Conf USA 5 6. Texas Big 12 6 7. BYU Mou 7 8. Texas Tech Big 12 8 9. Texas A&M Big 12 11 10. Arizona Pac 12 10 11. Southern Illinois Mo. Valley 16 12. Florida State ACC 9 13. Georgia SEC 19 14. Iowa State Big 12 12 15. Baylor Big 12 14 16. Southern Mississippi Conf USA 13 17. Tennessee SEC 18 18. Ohio State Big Ten 15 19. Oklahoma Big 12 20 20. Connecticut Big East 24 21. Arizona State Pac 12 17 22. Stony Brook Amer. East 22 23. Stanford Pac 12 21 24. Kansas Big 12 NR 25. Michigan Big Ten 23

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas’ women’s track and field team appeared in this week’s U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) rankings that were released Tuesday morning. The Jayhawks entered the poll for the first time this season at No. 24 after a strong showing at last week’s New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York City.

The KU women currently boast seven athletes who are ranked in the top-20 in the NCAA in their respective events. Junior Andrea Geubelle holds the nation’s top triple jump mark of 13.20 meters (43-03.75 ft.), while junior Francine Simpson and sophomore Diamond Dixon join her with top 10 marks, Simpson ranking seventh in the long jump and Dixon at fourth in the 400 meters.

Other KU women who have helped the team break into the national rankings are senior Alena Krechyk, who broke the school record in the weight throw last weekend and sits at No. 11 in the NCAA; sophomore Demi Payne, who has moved into third on the all-time school pole vault list and ranks 12^th in the nation; and junior Paris Daniels, who sits at 14^th with a top 200 meter time of 23.74. The women’s 4×400-meter relay team of Daniels, Dixon, Denesha Morris and Taylor Washington also made their way into the top 25 of the NCAA leader board after running to a time of 3:38.03 last week in New York.

The men’s and women’s teams will split up this weekend when the distance runners and horizontal jumpers travel to Seattle, Wash. for the Husky Classic, with the rest of the team heading to Fayetteville, Ark. for the Tyson Invitational. Both meets will take place on Friday, Feb. 10 and Saturday, Feb. 11. Stay updated on all the action from the meets by going to the meet central page at kuathletics.com and follow on twitter at KU_Track.