Men's track and field ranked No. 7 in first outdoor poll; women 16th

  New Orleans, La. – Fresh from a tie for eighth place at the NJCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, the Mesa men have improved a spot to No. 7 in the first outdoor weekly poll.

  The Mesa women were ranked No. 16 in the poll.

  MCC claimed that spot in the weekly poll of the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association released Wednesday.

  The T-Birds finished second to Central Arizona, which is ranked No. 5 in the poll, at the ACCAC Championships last Saturday.

  Mesa already has nine athletes qualified for the NJCAA outdoor nationals in a total of 12 events as well as the 4x100 relay team. Among the qualifiers is Kyle Downey, ranked No 1 in the pole vault.

  MCC will compete in the Pima Aztec outdoor meet on Friday in Tucson and the Sun Angel Classic Saturday at Arizona State.