NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Montana Tech's women's indoor track & field team is back in the top 25.
The Orediggers rocketed up to No. 16 in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association indoor Track & Field Ratings Index NAIA top 25, the coaches' organization announced Tuesday morning.
Montana Tech's women finished third in the first-ever Frontier Conference indoor championship meet over the weekend, adding to their list of top-40 placements on the NAIA performance list in the process. Tech jumped the third-most spots of any program in the country, jumping ahead 11 places in the index.
The TFRI is a mathematical system that ranks collegiate track & field teams based on current-season performances. It combines place points — awarded to top performances on national descending-order lists — with a separation bonus that rewards performances significantly better than the field.
Jadyn Vermillion led the way for the Orediggers with the top indoor long jump mark in the NAIA so far this season. Her 6.08-meter leap on October 7 has topped the national leaderboard ever since.
Abby Clark posted three marks to help Montana Tech's score. Her pentathlon tally ranks second in the NAIA, and she ranks sixth in the high jump and 16th in the long jump.
Ayla Janzen ranks in the top 20 in two events — 16th in the long jump and 19th in the triple jump. The Orediggers' conference-champion 4x800m relay of
Terryn Chirrick,
Mya Green,
Amy Broek, and
Kamryn Comba checked in 19th on the NAIA list, and
Ava Epler ranks 24th in the weight throw.
It's Montana Tech's first top-25 indoor rating since the final index of the 2021-22 season, when the Orediggers were ranked sixth.
The Oredigger women will look forward to the NAIA's indoor championship meet field, scheduled to be announced Wednesday. The NAIA indoor championship meet will be conducted March 5-7 in Gainesville, Fla.
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