Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Rise To No. 6 In USTFCCCA Rankings
April 27, 2015 | Track and Field
Bradley Adkins and the Red Raider track & field team climbed to No. 6 in the USTFCCCA rankings this week.
NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The Texas Tech men's and women's track & field teams made huge jumps in the U.S Track & Field And Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) rankings this week, vaulting to No. 6 and No. 12, respectively.
Dating back to the 2014 outdoor season, this is the eighth-straight week in which both the Red Raiders and Lady Raiders have been ranked in the top 20, and this is the men's highest ranking since climbing to No. 5 in week eight of 2014, following their team Big 12 outdoor title.
The Red Raiders are the highest-ranked team in the Big 12, while the Lady Raiders made the second-highest leap of anyone in the top 12, climbing six spots this week.
Combined, the Red Raiders and Lady Raiders have 23 athletes and three relays ranked in the nation's top 50 in their respective events. Tech also combines to have eight different athletes and one relay with a top-10 ranking. The Red Raiders and Lady Raiders are currently in position to earn 43 combined qualifications to the NCAA West Preliminary Round, due to top-48 rankings in the West region.
On the men's side, Chris Caldwell ranks second the nation in the 110m hurdles with the 13.56 he ran at the Texas Relays.
Trevor Mackey (20.76) ranks 22nd in the nation in the 200 meters, and a trio of Red Raiders are ranked in the 400 meters after great runs at the Wes Kittley invite: Joseph Richards III (No. 6, 45.61), Steven Champlin (No. 10, 45.92), Kyle Collins (No. 16, 46.23).
Caldwell is joined in the 110m hurdles rankings by Tramaine Maloney (14.02), who is No. 41. JW Smith ranks 17th in the 400m hurdles, with his personal-best 50.73 he ran at the Texas Relays, and Darien Tennon joins him in the 400m hurdles rankings at No. 25, after an impressive 51.19 at the Michael Johnson Classic.
Tech has three male high jumpers ranked in the top 30. JaCorian Duffield (2.31m/7-7) has the top spot, Bradley Adkins (2.24m/7-4.25) is No. 4 and Trey Culver (2.14m/7-0.25) ranks 28th.
Kyle Thompson has the No. 15 spot in the pole vault after his personal-best clearance of 5.30m/17-4.50 at the Wes Kittley Invitational, and Jerome Wilson (7.47m/24-6.25) ranks 43rd in the long jump.
Kole Weldon is ranked in two events: the discus (No. 11, 59.39m/194-10) and he sits at No. 28 in the shot put, after a throw of 18.82m/61-9 at the Azusa Clay Invitational.
The 3:03.47 that Champlin, Richards III, Collins and C.J. Jones ran at the Texas Relays is the No. 5 4 x 400 meter relay time in the nation.
On the women's side, Cierra White has the No. 8 spot in the 100 meter dash (11.32), and the No. 9 spot in the 200 meter dash (23.01). Montenae Speight's outstanding personal-best 52.21 in the 400 meters at the Michael Johnson Classic has her ranked ninth in the event.
Le'Tristan Pledger's 12.99 in the 100m hurdles at the Texas Relays has her ranked seventh in the nation in that event.
The Lady Raiders have a trio ranked in the triple jump, as Viershanie Latham (12.92m/42-4.75) holds the No. 11 spot, and Gionna Jackson shares the No. 40 spot with Paetyn Revell, as both have hit a mark of 12.62m/41-5.0 this season.
Lygia Forman, White, Pledger and Speight (44.74) rank 29th in the 4 x 100 meter relay, and Speight, White, Forman and Natalie Thompson (3:36.14) rank 27th in the 4 x 400 meter relay.
Hannah Carson holds two national top-15 rankings, taking third in the javelin (54.84m/179-11), and the No. 14 spot in the discus (54.98m/180-4).
Kami Norton (5,093 points) remains in the national rankings in the heptathlon this week at No. 40, after her personal-best performance at the David Noble Angelo State Relays.
The Red Raiders will host their final meet of the regular season, the Red Raider Open, this Thursday, April 30, at the Fuller Track & Field Complex.
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Players Mentioned
