Women's Track and Field begins season in Trackwire top five
AUSTIN, Texas -- The 2006 NCAA Indoor Champion University of Texas women's track and field team opened the 2007 campaign rated fifth in the first Trackwire 25 power ranking, published Tuesday, Jan. 16. Stanford is the favorite to win the national title, tallying 55 points in the opening rating. Second-ranked Arizona State is forecasted to score 43 points at the national meet, while LSU is third (40 points) and South Carolina is fourth (39 points). The Longhorns are projected to score 28 points. In the Dandy Dozen ranking, which charts the top 12 competitors in each NCAA event, UT boasts three individual selections and one relay team. Senior and reigning indoor national champion Michelle Carter (Ovilla, Texas) was chosen to repeat her winning performance from 2006 while national champion high jumper Destinee Hooker (San Antonio, Texas) is the favorite in the high jump after taking the top spot during the outdoor season. Newcomer Chauntae Bayne (Saginaw, Texas) is expected to make an immediate impact in her final year on the track. The former Stanford Cardinal is rated fourth in the 200-meter dash and sixth in the 60-meter dash. UT's 4x400-meter relay begins the season ranked ninth in the nation, returning one leg of the 1,600-meter group (in sophomore Alexandria Anderson) that finished third at the 2006 indoor national meet. The Trackwire 25 projects a hypothetical score for the NCAA meet that is generated by scoring the Dandy Dozen, a power ranking of the top 12 athletes and relay squads in each NCAA event. The Longhorns open the season this weekend at the Leonard Hilton Memorial Meet on Friday, Jan. 19.
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