KU Track and Field Continues To Rise In National Rankings

May 4, 2010

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

The Kansas men’s track and field team moved up four spots in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division I national team rankings, as it claimed the No. 19 spot, while the Jayhawk women’s track and field team entered the outdoor rankings for the first time this season, debuting at the No. 21 spot.

The USTFCCCA team rankings are determined using mathematical formulae based on the NCAA descending order list. With eight athletes and one relay team currently ranked in the top 48 in the nation, the Jayhawk men earned a respectable 100.57 total points, which propelled them into the Top 20 for the first time this season. The KU women earned 95.76 points, leaping from No. 36 in the the Top 25 at No. 21.

Those contributing the most points to the men’s score were freshman Mason Finley and senior Jordan Scott.

Finley, who was also named Big 12 Track and Field Co-Athlete of the Week Tuesday, compiled 57.09 total points for his efforts in the discus and shot put. Finley is third in the discus on the NCAA descending order list for his season-best throw of 197-3 ft., while also ranking third in the shot put with a season’s best mark of 63-02.25 ft.

Scott garnered 34.88 points, as he is tied for the top mark in the nation in the pole vault. Scott earned that mark at the Texas Relays, where he cleared a career-best 18-08.75 ft.

Others who earned significant points toward this week’s rankings include freshman Kyle Clemons, sophomore Keith Hayes and senior Brian Bishop. Clemons owns the No. 33 spot on the descending order list in the 400-meter dash, while Hayes is 21st in the 110-meter hurdles.

Along with Finley, Bishop is making waves in the discus, as he is ranked 24th in the nation with a season-best mark of 183-3 ft.

The KU women were led by freshman Andrea Geubelle who leads the Big 12 and ranks second in the NCAA in the triple jump with her season’s best mark of 13.39m (43-11.25 ft.). Also scoring points for the Kansas is sophomore Alena Krechyk who ranks first in the Big 12 and third in the NCAA in the hammer throw with her mark of 64.57m (211-10 ft.), while senior Lauren Bonds ranks in the top 10 in both the conference and the NCAA in the 1,500 meters with her time of 4:17.27.

Next up for the No. 19 Kansas track and field team is the 2010 Big 12 Championships in Columbia, Mo., May 14-16. Between the men and women, Kansas currently has 18 athletes and three relay teams ranked in the top 10 on the Big 12 outdoor performance list.