Red Raiders Rise Into The USTFCCCA Top 10
February 23, 2015 | Track and Field
Feb. 23, 2015
The Lady Raiders received the No. 17 ranking this week. Both the men's and women's teams have maintained top-20 rankings throughout the indoor season. The only other two times the teams accomplished that feat were in 2009 and 2011.
The men's and women's teams combine to have 19 ranked athletes and two ranked relays over a combined 17 events.
On the men's side, JaCorian Duffield once again remains No. 1 in the high jump (2.28m/7-5.75), while Bradley Adkins sits at No. 4 after his performance at the Masked Rider Open (2.25m/7-4.5).
Chris Caldwell moved up once again in the 60 meter hurdles, after running a 7.16 in the 55m hurdles at the Red Raider Open, which converts to a 7.73, vaulting him up to No. 5 in the nation in the event.
Joseph Richards III is ranked 18th in the 400 meters, after running a personal-best 46.59 at the Masked Rider Open., and Steven Champlin sits at No. 31 in the 400 meter rankings after a personal-best 46.97 at the Tyson Invite.
Trevor Mackey's personal-best 21.18 at the Tyson Invitational has him ranked 35th in the nation in the 200 meter dash.
Kyle Thompson's pole vault of 5.27m/17-3.5 has him at No. 35, and Kole Weldon's school-record 20.58m/67-6.25 toss in the weight throw at the Red Raider Open ranks No. 29 in the nation, while his season-best launch of 19.36m/63-6.25 from the Tyson Invitational ranks 14th in the shot put.
Keniel Grant leaped a monster 7.86m/25-9.50 on Saturday at the Arkansas Open, bettering his personal best by nearly a foot, and moving into the nation's No. 5 spot in the long jump in the process.
Jerome Wilson had a huge jump of 7.66m/25-1.75 at the Tyson Invite, which has him at No. 18 nationally in the long jump.
Tech's 4 x 400m relay quartet of Steven Champlin, Joseph Richards III, Kyle Collins and Charles Jones ranks 10th in the nation (3:07.00), after their run at the Arkansas Open.
Cierra White leads the way on the women's side with her No. 4 ranking in the 200 meter dash and her No. 8 ranking in the 60 meter dash. Shanice Stewart still holds top-20 national rankings in three events--the 60m hurdles (8.27, 18th), the long jump (6.30m/20-8.00, 14th), and the pentathlon, where she sits in 11th after putting up a school-record 4,152 at the Masked Rider Open.
Natalie Thompson (3,765, 38th) joins Stewart in the pentathlon rankings.
Le'Tristan Pledger sits in fifth in the 60 meter hurdles after running an 8.12 at the Tyson Invite. She also ranks 28th in the long jump, after leaping 6.13m/20-1.5 in Albuquerque.
Montenae Speight's 53.62 in the 400 meters ranks 27th in the country.
Gionna Jackson's school-record leap of 12.81m/42-0.5 places her in 26th nationally and second in the Big 12 in the triple jump. She is joined in the triple jump rankings by Paetyn Revell (32nd, 12.74m/41-9.75) and Viershanie Latham (36th, 12.71m/41-8.5).
The women's 4 x 400m relay (Lygia Forman, Cierra White, Natalie Thompson and Montenae Speight) ranks 16th in the nation after their run of 3:36.42 at the Tyson Invitational.
Tech currently has eight athletes and one relay in position to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
The Red Raiders will travel to Ames, Iowa, this weekend for the Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Championships, to be held Feb. 27-28.
Players Mentioned
