Teams: Women's Track & Field: Press Releases

Thursday, February 5, 2009

WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD #1, MEN #2 IN FIRST USTFCCCA INDOOR RANKINGS

First-year Nakeisha Jones' nation's best triple jump helped Tufts to the #1 spot

MEDFORD -- The Tufts University women's track & field team is ranked #1 in the first release of the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Indoor Rankings announced on Wednesday. The rankings are based upon a points system, and Coach Kristen Morwick's Jumbos accumulated a total of 132.35 points that was ahead of second-place North Central College's 127.95 points.

According to the USTFCCCA website, a team's total point score is the sum of all points earned by that team in the 15 NCAA Indoor Championships events. Teams are allowed to select up to two athletes per event, and an athlete can only be used in a maximum of three events (not including relays). Only one relay team per event can be selected. Schools are responsible for submitting their own results. The points are based on the best marks in an event in the current season.

Tufts currently has four performances that are ranked among the nation's best. First-year Nakeisha Jones (Boston, MA) has the best triple jump in Division III with a distance of 39'3" (11.96m) at Boston University's Terrier Classic on January 23. Sophomore Stephanie McNamara's (North Attleborough, MA) time of 4:57.44 in the mile run is second-best in the country. She submitted that effort last Saturday at the Tufts Invitational 2. McNamara is also ranked fourth nationally in the 5,000 meter run. Her 17:26.91 converted time came from the Husky Invitational to open the indoor season on December 6. First-year Dayorsha Collins (Boston, MA) is provisionally qualified for NCAA's in the high jump with a 5'5 1/4" best (1.66m) that is among the top 10.

Coach Ethan Barron's men's team is second in the rankings with 141.86 points, behind Augustana at 142.06. Junior quad-captain Nick Welch (Seattle, WA) is ranked second nationally in the 5K with a 14:43.24 converted time from the BU Terrier Invitational on January 24. Senior quad-captain James Bradley (Atkinson, NH) has the fifth-best high jump in Division III at 6'8 1/4" (2.04m) from the first Tufts Invitational on January 17. Junior Jared Engelking (Westborough, MA) is one of five athletes in the nation qualified for Nationals in the pentathlon, scoring 3,400 points in the event at Tufts on January 30.

The rankings will be released on a weekly basis through March 4, and then final rankings will be announced on March 18.

► USTFCCCA Women's Rankings for February 4

► USTFCCCA Men's Rankings for February 4

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