NEW ORLEANS – Fresh off of scintillating performances this past weekend at the Northwest Open in Maryville, Mo., the Friends University Women's Indoor Track & Field Falcons have landed at No. 6 in the first U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Rating Index, the organization has announced. The Falcon Men are also listed in the 15th spot of the rankings.

"We have had some great success from several event groups early on in this indoor season," first-year Friends head coach Henry Brun said.

"It's is exciting to see both programs get recognized in the Top 15 nationally and I know that, as we move closer to our conference championships and the national meet, we will continue to add qualifiers to the list and improve our marks. It is nice to know that we are in the hunt nationally, but there is still quite a bit of work left to do by season's end. I always tell the athletes on the team that we win the race at the finish line and, as long as we are in contention from the start, we have a standing chance to win. I am proud of where we are now and I am eager to see where the next few weeks take us."

The Falcons put forth a dominant enough outing at the Northwest Open to win three KCAC Athlete of the Week awards, including a sweep by the Women's Falcons in Kortney Schutt (SR/Haysville, Kan.) and Aileen Gurrola (JR/Garden City, Kan.).

Schutt posted a pair of top five finishes, including a runner-up showing in the Weight Throw that was a school record throw of 16.70. The result is an NAIA "A" Standard qualifying mark that is currently tops in the KCAC and seventh in the NAIA.

Gurrola was also a force in Maryville, winning the 600 yard run with a time of 1:27.18 that ranks first in the KCAC this season. The mark was .2 seconds from an NAIA "A" Standard qualifying time.

In addition, the combination of Gurrola, Aubry Donley (FR/Lincoln, Kan. ), Caroline Giles (FR/Minneapolis, Kan.) and Miranda Tenove (SR/Gardner, Kan.) captured the 4 X 800 relay championship with an "A" standard time that ranks second in the NAIA this season and is fourth best in school history.

On the men's side, Wells received the KCAC Indoor Field Athlete of the Week after breaking the school record and finishing second in the Weight Throw at the Northwest Open with a throw of 17.58m.

Wells' mark hit the NAIA "A" Standard and ranks first in the KCAC and ninth in the NAIA.

The Women's Falcons are the top-ranked squad in the KCAC, while the Falcon men are second in the conference, one spot behind 14th-ranked University of Saint Mary.                                                                 

The Falcons will have a split squad this weekend and will have select student-athletes compete Friday (Jan. 31) at the Wichita State Invitational and then on Saturday (Feb. 1) at the Pittsburg State Invitational in Pittsburg, Kan.

For the complete rating indexes, click below:

Women's Rankings

Men's Rankings