Jan. 6, 2013

TUCSON - The University of Arizona was well represented in Track and Field News' world rankings and U.S. rankings for the 2012 season. Student-athletes Brigetta Barrett and Georganne Moline were ranked in the top 10 of their respective events in the world. Additionally, student-athletes Nick Ross, Baillie Gibson and Alyssa Hasslen earned spots in the top 10 of the U.S. Rankings. Volunteer assistant coaches Bernard Lagat and Jill Camarena-Williams also earned top-10 rankings in the world.

Barrett was ranked No. 4 in the world and No. 2 in the U.S. in the women's high jump for the 2012 season. Barrett swept NCAA high jump titles for the second-straight season in 2012. She became the first in woman in DI history to earn dual-season titles in back-to-back years, a combination of four consecutive national titles between the seasons. At the U.S. Olympic Trials, Barrett set a then-personal-best mark of 6-7 (2.00m), good for a silver medal and a trip to London for the Olympics. In the high jump final at the Olympics, she had a personal-best clearance of 6-8 (2.03m), the best jump ever by a collegiate athlete in the women's high jump. Barrett won the silver medal and became the first track and field athlete from Arizona to medal in the Olympics since Michael Bates and Sandra Farmer-Patrick in 1992. Barrett was also the first U.S. athlete to medal in the women's high jump since Louise Ritter in 1988. Dating back to 2011, Barrett has won 17-straight competitions versus collegiate competition.

Moline was ranked No. 7 in the world and No. 2 in the U.S. for the 400-meter hurdles. The summer of 2012 was the first time Moline participated in any type of international competition. She represented Arizona in the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 400-meter hurdles. After advancing in the first two rounds, Moline earned a silver medal in the final with a then-personal best of 54.33 and punched her ticket to London for the Olympics. Moline advanced to the final of the event where she earned a fifth-place finish, clocking a personal-best time of 53.92. That time is the school record and the No. 3 time in Pac-10/12 history. During the 2012 outdoor season for Arizona, Moline captured two Pac-12 titles, one in the 400-meter hurdles and one as the anchor on the 4x400-meter relay team. She posted the best time in the country for the season, running 55.12 at the Pac-12 Championships.

Hasslen was ranked No. 7 in the women's shot put for the 2012 U.S. Rankings. For the outdoor season, Hasslen set the No. 2 mark in school history and the 14th-best throw in collegiate history at the Mt. SAC Relays. She posted a personal-best mark of 60-2.5 (18.35m) that was good for second place in the competition. That toss was also the second-best mark in the country during the outdoor collegiate season. Hasslen earned a runner-up finish at the Pac-12 Championships in the shot put, throwing 53-3.5. Hasslen earned another runner-up finish at the Pac-12 Championships, posting a personal-best mark of 180-9 in the discus, the fifth-best mark in UA history. Although she was not completely healthy, Hasslen competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials, representing Arizona in the women's shot put competition. She posted a mark of 55-11.75 (17.06m) in the preliminary round, good for a spot in the final. In the final, Hasslen's mark of 58-2.5 (17.74m) was good for a sixth-place finish.

In the U.S. women's shot put rankings, Gibson was placed at No. 10. She redshirted the indoor and outdoor collegiate seasons. However, Gibson did compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials. She competed in the shot put, posting a mark of 55-2 (16.81m) in the preliminary round and advanced to the final. Gibson's toss of 55-8.5 (16.98m) was good for ninth place in the final. Gibson's season-best toss of 56-11.25 (17.35m) came at the Tucson Elite Classic where she competed unattached.

In the men's high jump, Ross was ranked No. 4 in the U.S. for the 2012 season. During the indoor season, Ross claimed the NCAA Championship in the high jump, the first men's high jump title in school history. At the NCAA Championships he won with a clearance of 7-3.75 (2.23m). At the Razorback Invitational, Ross competed in the heptathlon and scored 5,269 points. During the high jump portion of the heptathlon, Ross had a personal-best clearance of 7-4.25 (2.24m), which tied the world record for a high jump clearance during the heptathlon. Outdoors, Ross earned All-Pac-12 honors in the high, long, and triple jumps while claiming the league high jump title for the second-straight year. At the NCAA Championships, Ross earned a fourth-place finish in the men's high jump competition with a clearance of 7-4.25 (2.24m). He earned his third-straight first-team All-America honor in the high jump. At the U.S. Olympic Trials, Ross had a personal-best clearance of 7-5.75 (2.28m) in the final and earned a bronze medal. That mark is tied for the second-best mark in school history. Despite taking third place at the U.S. Olympic Trials, he failed to meet the Olympic "A" Standard of 7-7 (2.31m).

Camarena-Williams took the No. 4 spot in the world for the women's shot put and No. 1 in the U.S. In 2012, Camarena-Williams broke her own American indoor record with a mark of 65-3.75. She took fourth place at the IAAF World Indoor Championships, posting a mark of 63-9.5. Outdoors, Camarena-Williams posted the sixth-best mark in the world, throwing 65-0.5 at the Tucson Elite Classic. She took home the gold medal at the U.S. Olympic Trials, punching her ticket to London for her second-straight Olympic Games. Camarena-Williams threw 59-9.5 in the preliminary round of the shot put competition. She suffered a back injury before the Olympics and was nearly unable to compete.

Lagat was ranked fifth in the world in the 5,000 meters. For the U.S. rankings, Lagat was ranked No. 1 for the 5K and third for the 1,5000 meters. Lagat set the American indoor record in the 5,000-meter race, clocking a time of 13:07.15 and beating the previous record by more than four seconds. Lagat also won the gold medal at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in the 3,000-meter race, his second-straight gold medal in the event. Outdoors, Lagat took second place at the U.S. Olympic Trials, punching his ticket to London in the 5K. Lagat competed in his fourth Olympiad, earning a fourth-place finish in the final of the 5,000-meter race.