BATON ROUGE – After combining for 23 semifinalists into the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships with their efforts at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds last weekend, the Tigers and Lady Tigers have remained among the Top 10 teams in the country in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association power rankings released Tuesday.
The Tigers are on the cusp of a Top 5 national ranking after emerging from the competition in Jacksonville, Florida, with 10 NCAA semifinalists to help them move up two spots in this week’s Top 25 power ranking as the No. 6-ranked team in the country. The Lady Tigers will feature 13 NCAA semifinalists of their own as they dropped two spots to the No. 8-ranked women’s team nationally this week.
They will wrap up the 2014 season in the semifinal and final rounds of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships to be held June 11-14 at Oregon’s Hayward Field in Eugene.
Earning their spot in the national semifinals for the Tigers were Rodney Brown (discus), Quincy Downing (400 hurdles), Aaron Ernest (100 meters, 200 meters), Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (200 meters), Vernon Norwood (400 meters), Joshua Thompson (110 hurdles), Jeremy Tuttle (hammer throw) and both of their 4×100-meter and 4×400-meter relays.
The Lady Tigers competing in Eugene next week include Tori Bliss (shot put), Chanice Chase (100 hurdles, 400 hurdles), Nataliyah Friar (long jump), Rushell Harvey (100 meters), Denise Hinton (hammer throw), Lynnika Pitts (high jump, triple jump), Jasmin Stowers (100 hurdles), Toshika Sylvester (200 meters), Nikita Tracey (400 hurdles) Rebekah Wales (javelin) and their 4×100-meter relay team.
USTFCCCA Top 25 (as of June 3, 2014)
MEN
Team (Points) Last Week
1. Oregon (386.64) 3
2. Florida (364.79) 1
3. Texas A&M (335.04) 2
4. Arkansas (220.26) 4
5. Texas (171.84) 7
6. LSU (169.38) 9
7. Georgia (161.58) 6
8. Oklahoma State (158.45) 8
9. Texas Tech (143.06) 5
10. Nebraska (135.96) 23
11. Alabama (111.04) 13
12. Arizona (109.68) 20
13. Southern California (109.25) 14
14. Florida State (104.48) 31
15. Baylor (101.93) 15
16. Wisconsin (98.60) 12
17. Kentucky (98.33) 19
18. Kansas State (88.36) 28
19. Penn State (85.36) 17
20. Pittsburgh (81.94) 26
21. Ole Miss (72.32) 11
22. New Mexico (72.00) 25
23. Minnesota (71.87) 43
24. Stephen F. Austin (71.06) 37
25. UCLA (69.20) 22
WOMEN
Team (Points) Last Week
1. Texas (383.85) 1
2. Texas A&M (341.07) 4
3. Oregon (325.42) 3
4. Florida (311.14) 2
5. Kentucky (270.18) 5
6. Georgia (226.49) 7
7. Arkansas (205.12) 8
8. LSU (167.01) 6
9. Florida State (156.85) 11
10. Stanford (149.20) 10
11. Penn State (135.77) 16
12. Baylor (131.30) 12
13. Southern California (120.41) 9
14. Kansas (98.65) 13
15. Texas Tech (95.68) 15
16. San Diego State (94.79) 18
17. Alabama (93.76) 27
18. Missouri (92.12) 17
19. Miami, Fla. (89.00) 35
20. Akron (85.73) 34
21. Boise State (85.27) 19
22. Virginia Tech (83.65) 23
23. Arizona (79.59) 14
24. Kansas State (76.04) 28
25. UAB (69.31) 33