The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released the 2019 NCAA Division III Preseason Outdoor Track & Field Rating Index earlier today, with the University of Redlands men's and women's teams each ranking fourth. The Bulldog men own a rating of 96.51, which paces the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), and the Redlands women boast a 90.85 rating. The teams climbed at least 11 spots from their end-of-season rankings in 2018 and move into the highest preseason spot in program history.
On the men's side, senior Luke Bohlinger (Mercer, Island, WA) landed among the individual national rankings with his speedy performances at Friday's Redlands Invitational. In the 200 Meters, he is now only two-one-hundredths of a second off the fastest time in the country with his mark of 21.62. He also jumped up to third in the 100 Meters when he stopped the clock in 10.80.
Junior Maliq Champion (Beaumont, CA) raced his way to sixth in the nation by uncorking a time of 10.87 in the 100 Meters at the same meet. In addition, this versatile competitor reached a height of 6' 6 ¾" in the High Jump to rank third in the country.
Sophomore Tucker Cargile (Denver, CO) made the transition from indoor to outdoor track with ease so far this season. He turned in a time of 3:56.40 in the 1500 Meters during the SCIAC Multi-Dual No. 1 on March 2 to put him fourth in Division III. That same day, senior Joseph Esparza (Arcata, CA) ran the 3000 Steeplechase in 9:36.96 to sit ninth in the nation.
Redlands' relays also rank among the fastest in Division III, as the 4x100 of Bohlinger, Champion, sophomore Anthony Razo (Pomona, CA), and sophomore Marvin Perkins Jr. (Las Vegas, NV) rank third with a time of 41.92, while the 4x400 of senior Nick Burchett (Gold River, CA), junior Jordan Washecheck (Tulsa, OK), Cargile, and junior Tyler Lufkin (Yucaipa, CA) shore up the No. 3 spot in the nation with a time of 3:23.08.
For the women, sophomore Hannah Albrecht (Cottage Grove, OR) stopped the clock in 59.53 in the 400 at the SCIAC Multi-Dual No. 1 to rank sixth in Division III. First-year Annick Bangou (Redlands, CA) burst onto the scene at the Redlands Invitational with a time of 12.50 in the 100 Meters, which put her 10th in the nation.
Junior Maria Ramirez (Orange, CA) continues a solid third year with the Bulldogs by registering the second-fastest time of the season in the 10,000 Meters at 38.14.36 during the Oxy Distance Carnival Spring Break Classic on March 9.
Junior Jessica Fields (Las Vegas, NV) owns top-10 Division III times in the 100 Hurdles and 400 Hurdles so far this season. At the Redlands Invite, she ran a 14.92 in the 100 Hurdles to now rank third in the nation. She also produced the sixth-fastest time of 1:04.93 in the 400 Hurdles at the same meet.
The quality quartet of Albrecht, junior Chyenne Kimble (Big Bear Lake, CA), Bangou, and first-year Courtney O'Neal (Atlanta, GA) currently leads the country by more than two seconds with a time of 46.74 in the 4x100 Relay, which came in school-record fashion at the Redlands Invitational.
Kimble also provides points for the Bulldogs among the field events, with her distance of 36' 5 ¾" in the Triple Jump to land sixth, nationally. Graduate student Reyna Ta'amu (Lakewood, CA) remains dominant in the Shot Put with her recent mark of 48' ¾" to lead Division III by nearly six feet.
The Bulldog men's and women's track & field teams look forward to competing in the SCIAC Multi-Dual No. 2 at the University of La Verne on Saturday, March 30, at 10 a.m.