Kansas men No. 22 in latest USTFCCCA rankings
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas men’s track & field team came in at No. 22 in the week seven U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Track & Field Rating Index, released Monday.
The No. 22 ranking is a three-spot drop from week six. Contributing heavily to the Jayhawks’ top-25 ranking are Bryce Hoppel, Zach Bradford and Gleb Dudarev, who all rank in the top-five in the nation in their respective events.
Hoppel is the No. 3-ranked 800-meter runner in the NCAA with a season-best time of 1:45.87, which he recorded at the National Relay Championships. Hoppel is currently on a 15-race winning streak, most recently winning his third overall Big 12 title in the 800 meters at the 2019 Big 12 Outdoor Championships in Norman, Oklahoma.
Bradford is the third-ranking pole vaulter in the nation with his school record-breaking clearance of 5.77 meters (18-11 ft.) at the Kansas Relays. Bradford’s school record broke a 36-year standing record set by Jeff Buckingham of 5.76 meters (18-10.5 ft.). Bradford finished third in the pole vault at the Big 12 Championship over the weekend.
Ranked No. 4 in the hammer throw in the NCAA, Dudarev is coming off his third Big 12 title in the event. Dudarev’s season-best mark came at the Florida Relays in March, where the junior recorded a throw of 74.39 meters.
Other Jayhawks that rank in the top-25 in the NCAA in their events include George Evans at No. 11 in the discus, Kyle Rogers at No. 18 in the pole vault, Cordell Tinch at No. 20 in the 110-meter hurdles and Cody Johnson< at No. 25 in the 400-meter hurdles.
Tinch’s season-best time of 13.72 in the 110-meter hurdles was good for a Big 12 crown in the event, helping the freshman earn the Co-Men’s High Point Performer Award at the outdoor conference meet over the weekend.
The KU men’s 4×400-meter relay team of Marcus Davis, Ethan Fogle, Johnson and Hoppel also ranks No. 24 in the NCAA with a season-best time of 3:06.97 at the Big 12 Championship.
The Kansas women’s team jumped five spots in the latest USTFCCCA rankings from No. 53 to No. 48.
