Track and Field Squads Earn Top-15 Preseason Rankings
Friday, January 9, 2009 | Track and Field
The University of Florida track and field teams each are ranked among the nation's top 15 in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Indoor Preseason Top-25 Poll, the New Orleans-based organization announced Thursday evening.
The Florida men's team is ranked No. 4 in the nation according to the USTFCCCA indoor preseason poll, while the Gator women are ranked No. 13. UF returns a combined 16 All-Americans to its 2009 roster.
Oregon is ranked first in the men's preseason poll followed by No. 2 Arizona State and No. 3 Arkansas. The Gators are one of six SEC teams ranked in the men's preseason top-25 as Arkansas (No. 3), LSU (No. 8), Kentucky (No. 11), South Carolina (No. 16) and Georgia (No. 20) all are nationally ranked.
Texas A&M is the top-ranked women's squad, followed by No. 2 LSU and No. 3 Michigan. Florida is one of seven SEC teams ranked in the women's preseason top-25 as LSU (No. 2), Tennessee (No. 4), Arkansas (No. 11), South Carolina (No. 16), Kentucky (No. 22) and Alabama (No. 23) are all among the nation's ranked squads.
In 2009, the USTFCCCA rankings will be compiled using the NCAA Descending Order lists. The preseason rankings were scored using the final descending order list from the 2008 season, with improvements based on NCAA postseason competition and taking into account additions and deletions to each team's roster.
The 2009 USTFCCCA Division I Rankings will be released on Wednesdays during the indoor track and field season.
Florida opens its 2009 indoor season Jan. 16-17, when it travels to Lexington, Ky., to participate in the two-day Kentucky Invitational. The event is hosted by the University of Kentucky at its E.J. Nutter Fieldhouse. Next weekend's event will be good preparation for the upcoming SEC indoor championships, as the conference meet also will be contested in Nutter Fieldhouse.
The University of Florida is home of the 2009 Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. For more information on Florida track and field, please log on to www.GatorZone.com.
2009 USTFCCCA MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD INDOOR PRESEASON TOP-25
| Rank | School |
| 1 | Oregon |
| 2 | Arizona State |
| 3 | Arkansas |
| 4 | Florida |
| 5 | Florida State |
| 6 | Texas A&M |
| 7 | Texas |
| 8 | LSU |
| 9 | Louisville |
| 10 | BYU |
| 11 | Kentucky |
| 12 | Texas Tech |
| 13 | Northern Iowa |
| 14 | Baylor |
| 15 | Nebraska |
| 16 | South Carolina |
| 17 | Michigan |
| 18 | Kansas State |
| 19 | Arizona |
| 20 | Georgia |
| 21 | Georgetown |
| 22 | Boise State |
| 23 | Missouri |
| 24 | UCLA |
| 25 | Stanford |
2009 USTFCCCA WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD INDOOR PRESEASON TOP-25
| Rank | School |
| 1 | Texas A&M |
| 2 | LSU |
| 3 | Michigan |
| 4 | Tennessee |
| 5 | Florida State |
| 6 | Arizona State |
| 7 | Virginia Tech |
| 8 | Oregon |
| 9 | Texas Tech |
| 10 | Minnesota |
| 11 | Arkansas |
| 12 | Texas |
| 13 | Florida |
| 14 | Penn State |
| 15 | Arizona |
| 16 | South Carolina |
| 17 | Stanford |
| 18 | North Carolina |
| 19 | UTEP |
| 20 | Miami (Fla.) |
| 21 | Texas Christian |
| 22 | Kentucky |
| 23 | Alabama |
| 24 | Nebraska |
| 25 | Louisville |
END OF REPORT
