It was announced late yesterday by the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) that the University of Redlands women's track & field team broke into the NCAA Division III preseason rankings for the outdoor season at No. 24. The Bulldogs made a huge leap from No. 84 in the final indoor poll that included minimal data due to Redlands' limited number of indoor competitions.
This poll is determined by a mathematical formula that calculates points from the NCAA Division III Descending Order Lists and may include previous season marks until sufficient data is available for the current campaign.
Based on this methodology, the Bulldogs acquired 44.72 points to rank 24th in all of NCAA Division III. Redlands is among the third-highest conference to be included in the rankings, with three Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) teams ranked in the top 25.
On the track, senior Alison Smith (McKinleyville, CA) leads the Maroon and Gray with the fastest time of the season in the 100 Hurdles at 14.36. She recently finished fourth in the 60 Hurdles at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships for All-America honors.
Freshman Jessica Fields (Las Vegas, NV) continues to impress in her rookie campaign by already sitting among the nation's top four in each of the hurdle events. She owns the second-best time of the young season in the 400 Hurdles at 1:04.34 and ranks third in the 100 Hurdles with a time of 14.86. Freshman Chyenne Kimble (Big Bear Lake, CA) joins her among the elite list in the 100 Hurdles at 15:09 to rank fourth.
Junior Kaylee Jorgensen (Claremont, CA) represents Redlands' middle-distance runners with her time of 2:17.05 in the 800 to sit fifth among NCAA Division III competitors.
Last week, the 4x100 Relay of junior Sophie Brooks (Seattle, WA), Kimble, sophomore Kara Romani (Sacramento, CA), and Smith not only broke the Bulldogs' school record but also bumped the quartet to second in the nation with a time of 47.70.
In the field events, Redlands boasts a talented crew of competitors, as highlighted by junior Vanessa Blanchard (Palmdale, CA) in the High Jump. She owns the third-best height of the season at 5' 3". In addition, junior Mandy Widen (Vail, AZ) and Romani each shine in their respective events of Pole Vault and Long Jump with top-10 national marks.
Redlands looks forward to hosting the SCIAC Multi-Dual No. 2 on Saturday, April 1, at 10 a.m. on Ashel Cunningham Track in Ted Runner Stadium.