KU Women Reclaim No. 1, Men Enter Ranks at No. 22

May 7, 2013

Week 6 Outdoor Rankings

USTFCCCA Outdoor Track & Field Week 6 Rankings

USTFCCCA Women’s Top-10 No. School Conf. Last 1. KANSAS Big 12 2 2. Texas A&M SEC 1 3. Florida SEC 3 4. LSU SEC 4 5. Arizona Pac 12 5 6. Arkansas SEC 6 7. Oregon Pac 12 7 8. Texas Big 12 10 9. Arizona State Pac 12 9 10. Georgia SEC 8 USTFCCCA Men’s Top-10 No. School Conf. Last 1. Florida SEC 1 2. Texas A&M SEC 2 3. Florida State ACC 3 4. Oregon Pac 12 5 5. Arkansas SEC 4 6. Texas Big 12 8 7. Georgia SEC 6 8. USC Pac 12 7 9. Virginia Tech ACC 9 10. Wisconsin Big Ten 11 22. Kansas Big 12 NR

NEW ORLEANS – The Kansas women’s track team regained its spot atop the national rankings after the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association released the latest NCAA top-25 list Tuesday. The Jayhawks moved back to No. 1 for the fifthth week in the 2013 outdoor season after winning the program’s first outdoor conference championship last weekend. The Kansas men entered the ranks for the first time this season, checking in at No. 22.

The sprints and jumps were instrumental in the Jayhawks jumping back to the top of the rankings, flying past Texas A&M, which fell to No. 2. The combined efforts of sprinters Paris Daniels — the National Athlete of the Week — and Diamond Dixon drove the surge to No. 1. Dixon’s collegiate-leading 51.73 over 400 meters boosted her from 45th in the rankings to No. 1, while Daniels’ 11.34 in the 100 meters moved her from 21st to 13th. Both sprinters were members of the 4×100 relay, which moved from 22nd to No. 8.

In addition to the sprinters, the NCAA’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Year, Andrea Geubelle, moved up from 13th to No. 3 in the long jump en route to a runner-up finish in the event at the league championships. She joins teammate and Big 12 Champion Francine Simpson, who currently sits at No. 2 in the event nationally, a spot she has held for nearly the entire outdoor season. Junior Jessica Maroszek‘s school record mark in the discus boosted her in the national rankings. The Big 12 Champion now sits at fifth in the NCAA standings.

The KU men made their first appearance on the top-25 list following several strong performances over the weekend. Kyle Clemons led the charge with his school-record time in the 400 meters. The senior clocked in a 45.10 en route to the conference title, the second-fastest time in the nation this season. Senior Jesse Vaughn also moved up via a Big 12 Championship winning mark in the javelin, sliding up from outside the top-50 in the event to No. 33.

Junior Josh Munsch also contributed to the men’s climb in the ranks with his career-best in the 1,500 meters. Munsch clocked in at 3:41.58 for a third-place finish at the conference meet, a time which ranks 17^th in the NCAA.

The Kansas men and women will continue their push toward the NCAA Championship rounds this weekend as some Jayhawks will travel to Atlanta, Ga., for the Georgia Tech Invitational May 10-11, while others trek to Manhattan, Kan. for the Ward Haylett Invitational, May 11. For updates and a complete recap on KU’s performances, log on to KUAthletics.com and follow on twitter at KUTrack.

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