KU Men's and Women's Track Teams Move Up in National Rankings

April 24, 2012

Week 4 USTFCCCA Rankings

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas’ track and field teams appeared in this week’s U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) rankings that were released Tuesday afternoon. The KU women slid back into the top 10, moving up four spots to No. 7, while the Jayhawk men moved to No. 25 after an outstanding weekend hosting the Kansas Relays in Lawrence.

The KU women’s team has now been ranked among the top-10 of the national rankings four of the five weeks in the 2012 outdoor season. The Jayhawks boast five athletes that hold NCAA top-10 marks in six events as well as the 4×400-meter relay team who currently holds the sixth-fastest time in the nation. Kansas slid up four spots in the women’s poll to No. 7 with 204.18 points in the computer generated poll.

The Kansas men were not ranked in last week’s poll, but leaped back to the No. 25 spot after a one week hiatus. The Jayhawks, who were No. 26 a week ago, moved up one spot with 90.01 points which was propelled by several men’s top-25 performances at the Kansas Relays. Mason Finley moved up to the No. 1 ranking in the shot put after his win Friday in Lawrence. The junior also boasts the NCAA’s No. 2 mark in the discus. Including Finley, the KU men have four athletes who hold top-25 marks in five events.

The Jayhawks will split for three meets this weekend as the sprinters and jumpers will travel to the Bill Williams/Bob Laptad Invite on April 27 in Joplin, Mo., the throwers will head to San Diego for the Triton Invitational on April 28, while several of the distance stars will run in Stanford, Calif. at the Jordan Payton Invitational April 28-29.