Tech Women Jump To No. 12 In USTFCCCA Rankings
February 09, 2015 | Track and Field
Le'Tristan Pledger is one of 18 Tech athletes ranked in the nation's top 50 in their respective events this week.
NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Powered by record-breaking performances from Cierra White and Gionna Jackson, the Texas Tech women's track & field team jumped six spots to No. 12 in this week's version of the U.S Track & Field And Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) computer rankings.
The Tech men stayed put at No. 14 for the second-straight week.
The Lady Raiders' six-spot vault was the highest rise of any team on the women's side, and marks the fourth-straight week that both the men's and women's teams have both been ranked in the nation's top 20.
The men's and women's teams each have nine athletes and one relay ranked over nine different events, giving the teams a combined 18 ranked athletes.
White leads the way for the Lady Raiders after clocking the national and world-leading 200 meter time of 22.98, on Friday. Even with the altitude adjustment to 23.05, it still tops both lists. She added to that with a blistering, school-record 7.22 in the 60 meter dash, the No. 6 time in the nation.
Shanice Stewart holds top-15 national rankings in three events-the 60m hurdles (8.27, 15th), the long jump (6.30m/20-8.00, ninth), 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, 35th) joins Stewart in the pentathlon rankings.
Le'Tristan Pledger moved from fourth to third nationally in the 60 meter hurdles, after running an 8.12 in Albuquerque. That mark is also tops in the Big 12. She also moved into the long jump rankings at No. 23, after leaping 6.13m/20-1.5 this weekend.
Montenae Speight's 53.97 in the 400 meters ranks 26th in the country.
Gionna Jackson's school-record leap of 12.81m/42-0.5 places her in 17th nationally and second in the Big 12 in the triple jump. She is joined in the triple jump rankings by Paetyn Revell (24th, 12.74m/41-9.75) and Viershanie Latham (27th, 12.71m/41-8.5). Jackson is also ranked 43rd in the long jump, with a mark of 6.00m/19-8.25.
Hannah Carson ranks 49th in the shot put, with a mark of 15.31m/50-2.75
The women's 4 x 400m relay (Lygia Forman, Cierra White, Natalie Thompson and Montenae Speight) rank 17th in the nation after their run of 3:37.47 at the UNM Classic.
On the men's side, JaCorian Duffield once again remains No. 1 in the high jump, while Bradley Adkins stayed put at No. 3 after his performance at the Masked Rider Open. Dayton Fisher joins the high jump ranks at No. 33 after his personal-best clearance of 2.14m/7-0.25 this weekend. Tech has four athletes who have cleared the 6'11" mark or higher this season.
Joseph Richards III is ranked 12th in the 400 meters, after running a personal-best 46.59 at the Masked Rider Open, and Chris Caldwell sits at No. 11 in the 60m hurdles (7.80). Richards (38th, 21.28), along with Trevor Mackey (34th, 21.23), debuted in the 200 meter dash rankings this week as well.
Kyle Thompson cleared a personal-best 5.26m/17-3.0 this weekend, which moved him up to No. 28 in the pole vault, and Kole Weldon's school-record 20.25m/66-5.25 toss in the weight throw at the Texas A&M Quadrangular ranks No. 31 in the nation, while his launch of 19.12m/62-8.75 at the Masked Rider Open ranks 15th in the shot put.
After eclipsing his personal best by half a meter this weekend, Keniel Grant ranks 17th in the long jump, leaping 7.58m/24-10.5.
Tech's 4 x 400m relay quartet of Steven Champlin, Joseph Richards III, Kyle Collins and Charles Jones ranks sixth in the nation (3:08.16).
The Red Raiders will travel to Fayetteville, Ark. this weekend for the Tyson Invitational, which will be held Feb. 13-14.
Players Mentioned
