Dillard’s Women’s Track & Field Program Finishes Year Ranked at No. 55 Nationally In The Final USTFCCCA National Poll

New Orleans  – The Dillard women's track & field program finished the 2021-22 outdoor season ranked at No. 55 nationally in the tenth and final released 2022 USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll, the organization announced on May 31. The program fell from being ranked No. 17 in the week nine poll

Dillard received a total of two points in the poll based on having an All-American (Kevell Byrd) at the 2022 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama. 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 the poll from the seventh week to No. 16.

Dillard was the only school from the GCAC and one of only two from the state of Louisiana (XULA) to be ranked in the final poll.

Two weeks ago, the Dillard women were ranked No. 10 in the USTFCCCA South Region Poll.

Last week, Dillard sent 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 4x100 relay team of Byrd, Ta'Nijal Matthews, Rachel Rowe and Ryan Smith placed 39th with a 1:02.42. Byrd finished 12th individually in both the 100m (12.02) and the 400m (56.84). Rowe finished 20th in the triple jump (11.58m). Leila Walton earned 29th placed in the triple jump (10.87m). The 4x400m relay team of Byrd, Matthews, Rowe and Karmyn Dotson placed 12th in their event with a 3:54.36. Rowe earned 16th nationally in the triple jump (5.59m). Byrd finished seventh in the finals of the 200m (24.36)

This season, 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 with one All-American during outdoor season as Byrd placed seventh in the 200m. She is the women's program's first outdoor All-American since 2019 when Akia Armstrong was an All-American in the long jump. Byrd was an NAIA Indoor All-American in the 400m earlier this season.

2022 USTFCCCA National Women's Track & Field TFRI (Track & Field Rating Index) Poll – No. 10 (5/31/22)

 Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bleu Devils by following Dillard Athletics on Twitter at @GeauxDU, Facebook at Facebook.com/dillardbleudevils/ and Instagram at Instagram.com/dillardbleudevils/