No. 9 BYU Earns Highest National Ranking Since 2012

Athlete preparing to sprint. Women's team ranked No. 9

NEW ORLEANS — The USTFCCCA pegged the BYU women’s track and field the No. 9 team in the country in its weekly rankings release on Monday.

Climbing into the top 10 this week marks the Cougar women’s highest indoor national ranking since 2012.

BYU has seen many historic performances this season that has helped the squad crack the top 10. All-American Whittni Orton broke her third individual school record of the season in the women’s 3000m, running a time of 8:49.63. Orton has also broken the 5000m and mile records as well as being a member of the DMR (distance medley relay) school-record team.

In the women’s 800m, the Cougars have the No. 1 ranked group in the country. The BYU women also come in at No. 2 in the 5000m, No. 5 in the 3000m, No. 13 in the mile, No. 15 in the pole vault and No. 24 in the high jump.

Jaslyn Gardner ran a new women’s 60m school record with a time of 7.39. Elise Romney also vaulted to a new program-high mark in the women’s pole vault with at 4.31m/14-1.75.

Three 800m women landed on the BYU top-10 all-time list at the same meet. Lauren Ellsworth-Barnes, Anna Camp-Bennett and Alena Ellsworth are now No. 6, No. 7 and No. 9 in Cougar history, respectively.

Sable Lohmeier moved up to No. 6 all-time in the weight throw (17.63m/57-10.25) and Sierra Freeland landed a toss (15.28m/50-01.50) in the shot put that made her No. 7 in program history.

Sprinter Hannah Nealis also wrote her name in BYU history in two events this weekend in the 200m (24.21) and 400m (55.28), as she moved up to No. 7 and No. 9 all-time in each event.

The Cougars return to action this Friday at the MPSF Championships at the University of Washington.

The full USTFCCCA rankings release can be found on ustfccca.org.