NEW ORLEANS, La. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs track & field teams garnered a pair of No. 14 rankings in the pre-championship edition of the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Track & Field Rating Index (TFRI).
 
The pre-championship edition of the National TFRI accounts only for marks from athletes who have qualified for the national meet, whereas each of the previous sets of outdoor track & field rankings had included all eligible marks from the current season. With a healthy group of student-athletes set to compete in Allendale, Mich., at the end of the week, the UCCS women's team jumped three spots from last week with 73.96 points and the Mountain Lion men's team climbed one spot with 78.45 points.  
 
West Texas A&M University will enter the national meet as the favorite on the men's side with 22 entries across 12 events and a total of 316.27 points in the National TFRI. For the women, Azusa Pacific University leads the way as the top pick to win the national title as they garnered 251.42 points in the National TFRI and will have 23 entries across 16 events.
 
The Mountain Lions will have a program record 20 student-athletes combining for a total of 24 entries at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 26-28. The men's team is set to have ten student-athletes in action for 11 entries across nine different events, while the women's team will also send ten student-athletes for a total of 13 entries across nine separate events. Eight of the Mountain Lion's 24 entries feature marks that rank inside the top-ten of their respective competition.
 
MEN'S NATIONAL QUALIFIERS

• Dakota Abbott – Triple Jump
• Dillon Andrews – 400m Hurdles
• Peterson Bohannon – Long Jump
• Sawyer Christopher – Javelin Throw
• Evan Graff – 1500m
• Dawson Hopkinson – Pole Vault
• Chris Hudnall – 110m Hurdles
• Peyton Turnage – Long Jump
• Daryon Wilson – Long Jump
• Afewerki Zeru – 5000m, 10000m

 
WOMEN'S NATIONAL QUALIFIERS

• Layla Almasri – 1500m, 5000m
• Audrey Bloomquist – 4x100m
• Keyanda Bolton – 4x100m
• Brittany Fuchs – 100m, 4x100m
• Kate Hedlund – 1500m
• Riley McGrath – 1500m, 5000m
• Hannah Meek – Long Jump, Triple Jump
• Melissa Moreni – 100m Hurdles
• Lydia Pavlenko – High Jump
• Kayla Zink – 100m, 200m, 4x100m

 
The 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships will kick off on Thursday, May 26, with six Mountain Lions participating in final competitions and another nine UCCS student-athletes competing in preliminary races.
 
2022 USTFCCCA Outdoor T&F National and Regional Rankings
3/29:     MEN: #6 (#1 South Central Region)
             WOMEN: #6 (#1 South Central Region)
 
4/5:       MEN: #11 (#4 South Central Region)
             WOMEN: #17 (#2 South Central Region)
 
4/12:     MEN: #9 (#4 South Central Region)
             WOMEN: #11 (#3 South Central Region)
 
4/19:     MEN: #8 (#4 South Central Region)
             WOMEN: #14 (#3 South Central Region)
 
4/26:     MEN: #9 (#5 South Central Region)
             WOMEN: #17 (#3 South Central Region)
 
5/3:        MEN: #8 (#3 South Central Region)
              WOMEN: #10 (#2 South Central Region)
 
5/10:     MEN: #12 (#3 South Central Region)
             WOMEN: #14 (#3 South Central Region)
 
5/17:     MEN: #15 (#5 South Central Region)
             WOMEN: #17 (#4 South Central Region)
 
5/23:     MEN: #14 (Pre-Championship Edition)
             WOMEN: #14 (Pre-Championship Edition)