Women's Track Ranked No. 1, Men Move to Third
Tuesday, January 28, 2003 | Track and Field
The University of Florida women's track and field team has moved into the top spot in the latest Trackwire poll, released Tuesday. It is the first time since the Lady Gators were ranked No. 1 the week of Jan. 22, 2002.
"It's exciting for our team, and it's a big motivating factor. It's a real challenge for our athletes to keep this ranking going and try to win a national championship," said women's head coach Tom Jones. "It's good to get respect for the performances that our athletes have done so far."
The men's track and field team made a huge jump from No. 10 last week to a tie for third this week. The Gators are tied with Tennessee and South Carolina in the third sport, while fellow Southeastern Conference members LSU and Arkansas hold the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively. The ranking projects the Gators to finish with 26 points.
Trackwire's power ranking projects the Lady Gators to score 59 points at the NCAA meet, edging out SEC rival LSU by four points for the title.
In individual rankings by Trackwire, Candice Scott is projected to win the weight throw event, and five other Gators look to finish in the top 12, including three others in the top five. In all, the Lady Gators are expected to finish somewhere in the top 12 in eight events at the NCAA Championships. The Gators are also individually ranked in six events, with the highest ranking coming in at No. 3 as Matt Vincent (high jump), Moise Joseph (800m) and Rickey Harris (400m) are all ranked third.
Several Gators travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., this weekend for the Carolina Fast Times Meet before Florida hosts the Gator Invitational on Feb. 9 beginning at 9 a.m.
Women's Top Ten
1 Florida 59
2 LSU 55
3 South Carolina 45
4 Texas 43
5 UCLA 37
6 North Carolina 34
7 Stanford 26
8 BYU 19
9 Auburn 18
10 Indiana 17
Men's Top Ten
1 LSU 60
2 Arkansas 55
3 Florida 26
Tennessee 26
South Carolina 26
6 Stanford 25
7 TCU 24
Mississippi State 24
9 Villanova 23
10 Alabama 20
