Dillard’s Women’s Track & Field Program Is Ranked No. 17 Nationally in The Ninth USTFCCCA National Poll

New Orleans  – The Dillard women's track & field program are now ranked at No. 17 nationally in the ninth released 2022 USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll, the organization announced recently. The program dropped a spot from last week's national poll.

Dillard received a total of 114.27 points in the poll. The program was ranked No. 14 in the first national poll, No. 19 in the second, No. 27 in the third week, No. 24 in the fourth week. The program moved up nine spots after winning the GCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships for the first time since 2012 in the fifth week to No. 15. The program again moved up another spot in the sixth week's poll to No. 13.  The program fell a total of three spots in last week's poll to No. 16 and dropped another spot this week. Dillard is the only school from the GCAC and from the state of Louisiana to be ranked in the top – 25. Last week, the Dillard women were ranked No. 10 in the USTFCCCA South Region Poll.

Dillard is sending a total of six student-athletes to compete in six different events at the 2022 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships from May 25-27.

The 4x100m relay team of Kevell Byrd, Ryan Smith, Rachel Rowe and Ta'Nijal Matthews will start the competition for the women at 3:40 p.m. The finals for the event will be on 2:40 p.m. on Friday, May 27. The Dillard group are ranked 24th nationally with a time of 47.59.

Smith and Byrd also compete in the preliminaries of the 200m on the first day, May 25, starting at 6 p.m. Byrd ranks fifth nationally (23.72), while Smith is seventh (23.81). The finals for the event are set for 5:10 p.m. on Friday, May 27.

Rowe also competes on the opening day, May 25, in the long jump at 7:30 p.m. Rowe is ranked 15th nationally with her jump of 5.75m.

Byrd starts the second day, May 26, for Dillard at 4:20 p.m. in the 100m. The finals are set for Friday, May 27, at 3:50 p.m. Byrd is placed 12th nationally with her mark of 11.85m.

Byrd also qualified in the 400m. The preliminaries of the event are set for May 26 at 5 p.m. The finals of the 400m begins at 4:30 p.m. on May 27. Byrd is ranked eighth nationally with her run of 55.48.

Rowe and Leila Walton also compete on the second day, May 26, in the triple jump at 5:30 p.m. Rowe is ranked sixth nationally with a 12.05m. Walton is 23rd with her leap of 11.62m

The 4x400 relay team of Byrd, Smith, Karmyn Dotson and Ta'Nijal Matthews finishes up the second day of competition for Dillard and will run at 9:15 p.m. in the preliminaries of their event on Thursday, May 26. The finals are set for 6:15 p.m. on Friday, May 27. The Dillard group is 14th nationally with a 3:54.65.

Dillard won the 2022 GCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship for the fourth time since 2010 on Saturday, April 23. The program had 11 event victories and 34 All-GCAC selections over the course of the two-days of competition. The program followed that up by seeing their 4x400 relay team finish fourth at the prestigious Penn Relays on April 30 with a season-best time of 3:54.65. The program ended up finishing third overall last time at the Carey Last Chance Meet on May 13. The program had two event victories (Rachel Rowe – triple jump and the 4x100 relay team) and three top-three finishes on the day.

The poll was voted on by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences around the country.

2022 USTFCCCA National Women's Track & Field TFRI (Track & Field Rating Index) Poll – No. 9 (5/24/22)

Next, Dillard's women's program is off to compete at the 2022 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama at Mickey Blackwell Stadium from May 25-27.
                       
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