Season-high ranking for Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE – For the second time in program history, the University of Arkansas women’s track and field team has ascended to the No. 2 national ranking with Monday’s release of the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll. The Razorbacks began the 2013 campaign as the seventh-ranked team in the preseason and have moved up to a season-high spot heading into their indoor championship season.

The Southeastern Conference leads the nation with seven ranked teams this week, including five of the top 10. Arkansas is joined in this week’s rankings by conference mates No. 1 LSU, No. 6 Florida, No. 7 Georgia, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 14 South Carolina and No. 25 Mississippi State. The Razorbacks had been the fourth-ranked team in the country for the previous two weeks before Monday’s release.

This most recent release from the USTFCCCA is the first of the season based solely on performances from the 2013 campaign. All preseason data has been removed from the equation. The next round of computer rankings will be released Feb. 19, three days before the start of the SEC Indoor Championships which will be hosted by the Razorbacks at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

Individually, Arkansas has eight top-10 national marks on the NCAA Division I Indoor Qualifying List including NCAA-leading results by Regina George at 400 meters (51.67) and Makeba Alcide in the pentathlon (4,464 points). In the SEC event rankings, the Razorbacks lead the conference at 400 meters with George, in the pentathlon with Alcide, at 5,000 meters with Diane Robison and with the team’s distance-medley relay.

At the Tyson Invitational last weekend, Arkansas racked up three wins. At 400 meters, George broke the school record, extended her NCAA lead and established the fastest time in the world with her 51.67 performance. Arkansas’ other wins came from Grace Heymsfield and Shannon Klenke in the invitational sections of the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, respectively. In Seattle at the Husky Classic, Robison established her conference-leading time at 5,000 meters.

For more information regarding Razorback track and field or University of Arkansas athletics, please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com. Fans can also keep up with Arkansas cross country and track and field through the team’s sport-specific RazorbackTF Facebook and Twitter pages.

USTFCCCA Top 10 (Week 4)
1. LSU
2. ARKANSAS
3. Clemson
4. Kansas
5. Oregon
6. Florida
7. Georgia
8. Texas A&M
9. UCF
10. Iowa State