USTFCCCA Release
NEW ORLEANS – Coming off back-to-back weekends with several marks and times that sit in the top 10 of the school's record book, the Virginia Tech women's track and field team was ranked No. 24 in the latest United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Indoor National Rating Index, as announced by the association on Monday afternoon.
Tech is second-highest ranked team in the ACC only trailing behind No. 15 Florida State.
The top-five teams saw a changeup this week as No. 3 Texas A&M fell 18 spots and LSU jumped up nine spots to become the new No. 3 team in the country. Arkansas remains No. 1, Southern California No. 2, LSU No. 3, Oregon No. 4 and Kentucky No. 5. The SEC has the most teams ranked in the Top 25, owning nine spots, while the ACC is tied for the third most with two.
The Hokies moved up three spots from last week's pool when they were No. 27.
This past weekend at the Iowa State Classic, Rachel Pocratsky placed first in the 800-meter race on Saturday, while Sara Freix reset the school record in the 5,000 on Friday to headline week five of the season.
The women currently own 10 times and marks that rank in the top-50 nationally in the traditional events. The mile headlines the group as Sarah Edwards and Pocratsky both hold the No. 6 time in the country, while Pocratsky and Shannon Quinn hold the No.7 and 39 top times in the 800. Freix holds the No. 39 time in the 3,000 and the No. 40 time in the 5,000, while the sprints group is represented by Kennedy Dennis who is No. 17 in the 60-meter dash. Rachel Baxter has the ninth best mark in the pole vault, while Eszter Bajnok is No. 37 in the long jump and No. 17 in the triple jump.
The Hokies return to action Friday as they play host at Rector Field House for the Virginia Tech Challenge.