Lady?Back Track and Field at No. 9 in Preseason Rankings

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas Lady Razorback track and field is ranked No. 9 in the outdoor preseason rankings, it was released by the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday. Also released are the RunnerSpace E-8 individual rankings.

LSU sits atop the USTFCCCA rankings. Arizona State ranks second and Virginia Tech rounds out the top three. Arkansas (No. 9) is one of six SEC schools ranked in the top 25. Tennessee is No. 13, South Carolina is 14th, Florida sits at No. 15 and Auburn ranks 20th.

The Lady’Backs are led by three-time All-American and middle distance specialist Dacia Barr, multi-event competitor Etienne Chaplin, and a slew of sprinter and pole vaulters. In the RunnerSpace E-8 rankings, Barr sits at No. 5 in the 1,500 meters.

In addition to Barr, the Lady’Back roster also boasts top 20-ranked harriers in Christine Kalmer and Denise Bargiachi. The upperclassmen are joined by three sophomores and five freshmen.

Vaulters Stephanie Irwin, Katie Stripling and Sarah Landau rank in the top 20 in the nation and look to move up when they open the season next weekend. Landau currently holds the fourth-best mark in the nation at 13-1.5. She won the pole vault at the Louisiana Classics last weekend.

The Lady’Back sprint corps includes seniors Maketha Cooper, Paige Farrell, Tominque Boatright and multi-event competitor Peter-Gaye Beckford. They are joined by four sophomores and three freshmen. The sprint corps looks to carry on UA’s strong tradition in the 4×100- and 4×400-meter relays.

Arkansas track and field will open the outdoor season at Texas Relays, April 2-5, in Austin, Texas and at the Stanford Invitational, April 4-5, in Palo Alto, Calif.