NEW ORLEANS - The Fort Hays State women's indoor track and field team is ranked 22nd for a third-consecutive week in the fourth release of the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Track and Field Rating Index, announced Tuesday (Feb. 17) by the coaches association.
 
The Tigers have cleared the national qualifying threshold four times this season, including a pair that rank in the top four in the country.

Annabeth Baalmann leads Division II in the pole vault with her school-record clearance of 14-1.25 accomplished in December. The three-time All-American is the only DII athlete to successfully clear the 14-foot threshold this season. The senior's top mark is two inches higher than her nearest competitor.
 
Katie Linenberger ranks fourth in the high jump with her personal-best clearance of 5-10, accomplished last month (Jan. 30) at the Charlie Foster Classic in Kearney, Neb. She is one of nine athletes in Division II to clear 5-9 or better this season and is one of two freshmen to post a mark of 5-8 or better on the year. The Hays native ranks second on FHSU DII era performance list.
 
Emily Diercks McCullough has broken a pair of school records this season, doing so in the 5,000m run two weeks ago with a time of 16:49.86 before running the 3,000m in 16:49.86 this weekend. She ranks 26th in the country in the 5K and 36th in the 3K. She is one of 18 Division II student-athletes to post a national qualifying time in both distances and one of just three in the MIAA.
 
The Tigers will be back in action this Friday (Feb. 20), with some competitors traveling to Kearney, Neb. for the Loper Tune-Up and others off to Manhattan, Kan. for the Steve Miller Invitational.