By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
NEW ORLEANS – The Fort Hays State women’s track and field team was ranked 18th and the men’s squad was listed at No. 21 in the initial USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Women’s Indoor National Rating Index, released Tuesday (Jan. 26) by the coaches association. It is the first time the women have been ranked indoors since 2011 and the first time the men have been among the top 25 indoor programs since 2018.
The women’s team picked up 43.73 points in the computerized poll that awards points based on individual placements on the national performance chart. A total of 12 performances from eight individuals and one relay team earned points, including five performances that currently rank in the top 10 in the country.
Alexandra Hart is ranked fifth nationally in the high jump with a mark of 5-7.25, with Lyric Holman sitting in seventh in the 60m with a time of 7.65. Taylor Savolt’s mark of 39-0.25 in the triple jump is ninth-best in the country while Emily Salmans sits in 10th with a converted time of 2:17.99 in the 800m run. The 4x400m relay team of Mattie Rossi, Salmans, Holman and Savolt is also 10th nationally with a time of 3:57.93.
The men’s squad racked up 25.42 points thanks to 12 recognized performances from 11 individuals. Ryan Stanley is the lone Tiger on the men’s side ranked in the top 10 nationally, sitting in fourth in the pole vault after clearing the 16-6.75 bar last weekend.
Additionally, the men’s squad is ranked fifth in the initial Central Region rankings while the women open the year ranked eighth in the region.
The Tigers will continue the indoor season this weekend with a pair of events. Some runners will travel to Topeka, Kan. on Friday (Jan. 29) for the Washburn Open with the rest of the squad heading to Kearney, Neb. on Saturday (Jan. 30) for the UNK Charlie Foster Classic