March 19, 2013

TUCSON - The University of Arizona Wildcat men's and women's track and field program both earned spots in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) preseason national poll. The poll was released on Tuesday. The Arizona women are ranked third in the country while the men sit at the No. 20 spot.

The Wildcats are No. 3 to begin the season with 262.22 team points, marking their highest-ever position in the rankings. Arizona will benefit from 11 returners from a year ago ranked in their events' top 10, including top-ranked seniors Brigetta Barrett and Georganne Moline. UA is joined in the national poll by seven other Pac-12 schools. Oregon is No. 2, Arizona State is No. 8, Stanford sits at No. 9, Washington holds the No. 18 spot, Colorado is No. 22, USC sits in the No. 23 spot and UCLA is No. 24.

On the men's side, Arizona is accompanied by four Pac-12 schools. Oregon is sixth, USC is ranked eighth, UCLA sits in 12th and Arizona State is 15th.

Preseason national team rankings are calculated using data from previous seasons as a base of evaluation. Marks gained in the early part of this season will supersede previous-year marks if they are superior. The first regional rankings will be released April 2.