Lady Raiders Join Red Raiders In USTFCCCA Top 10
May 11, 2015 | Track and Field
Paetyn Revell's school-record triple jump helped vault the Texas Tech women's track & field team to the No. 10 ranking in the nation.
NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The Texas Tech men's and women's track & field teams each appeared in the top 10 of the U.S Track & Field And Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) rankings this week, at No. 7 and No. 10, respectively.
This marks the first time that both the Red Raiders and Lady Raiders have been ranked in the top 10 since week seven of the 2012 season. The Lady Raiders climbed five spots this week, the largest jump of any ranked team.
Texas Tech joins Texas as the only Big 12 schools to have both their men's and women's programs ranked in the nation's top 10.
Combined, the Red Raiders and Lady Raiders have 22 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 48 combined qualifications to the NCAA West Preliminary Round, due to top-48 rankings in the West region.
Not only that, but Tech finished at No. 4 and No. 11, respectively, in the final Track & Field News Dual Rankings of 2015. No. 4 is the highest finish for the Red Raiders since the rankings came into existence in 1970.
Those rankings reflect a combined indoor/outdoor season, but with a heavier emphasis on outdoor competition. To be ranked, a team must compete in one or more dual meets (defined as a scored meet between four or fewer teams). Teams are ranked on wins and losses, marks, and strength and depth of dual meet schedule.
Individually, on the men's side, Chris Caldwell ranks third in the nation in the 110m hurdles with the 13.56 he ran at the Texas Relays.Â
Joseph Richards III holds the No. 6 spot in the 400 meters, with the 45.61 he ran at the Wes Kittley Invitational.
Tech has a pair of male high jumpers ranked in the top five. NCAA Indoor Champion JaCorian Duffield (2.31m/7-7) has the top spot, while NCAA Indoor Runner-Up Bradley Adkins (2.24m/7-4.25) sits at No. 4.
The 3:03.47 that Indoor All-Americans Steven Champlin, Joseph Richards III, Kyle 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, from a top-10 standpoint, 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 pair of top-10 triple jump marks after the Red Raider Open, as Paetyn Revell's school-record leap of 13.43m/44-0.75 has her at no. 3, and Viershanie Latham (13.17m/43-2.50) holds the No. 9 spot.
Hannah Carson ranks fourth in the nation in the javelin with a throw of 54.90m/180-1.
The Red Raiders are heading to Ames, Iowa, this weekend for the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, to be held May 15-17.
Players Mentioned
