NEW ORLEANS — The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) unveiled its initial 2026 NAIA Women's Outdoor Track & Field Rating Index (TFRI) on Tuesday morning. According to the release, the Montreat College Cavaliers found themselves firmly among the nation's top 25. Starting off the campaign with 124.96 points, the Cavs landed at No. 15 out of 107 squads.
Overall, Montreat registered 3.60 points more than No. 16 Indiana Tech but 12.77 points fewer than 14
th-rated Lindsey Wilson (Ky.). The Cavaliers represented the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) as its top program in the first TFRI of the year, as well as the fourth-best rated South Region team.
In total, 12 top-50 performances added up to the Cavs' 124.96 points.
Heather Murphy and
Emma Barnes did the heavy lifting, with the pair combining for a trio of top-two efforts. Murphy owns the NAIA's No. 1-ranked 10k time after completing her race in just 33:38.48 at the Raleigh Relays last week. The Portarlington, Ireland native's 16:52.34 5000m time also currently stands as the second-quickest in the nation. Meanwhile, Barnes holds the second-best heptathlon performance thanks to her 4,482-point showing last weekend at the King University Invitational.
Lydia Norman (triple jump),
Macy Parks (5000m),
Trinety Dajuste (high jump),
Carlyn Bobo (5000m),
Jasmine Hernandez (4x400m relay),
Natalia Nieto (4x400m relay),
Anna Baugh (4x400m relay) and
Eliza Nelson (4x400m relay) also contributed to Montreat's rating.
For a look at the entire USTFCCCA NAIA Women's Outdoor National TFRI, click
here.
The Montreat College women's track & field team splits up between a pair of meets this weekend. On Thursday and Friday, the Cavaliers plan to send athletes to the VertKlasse Meeting at High Point University. Meanwhile, participants also head to Brevard College on Friday for the Tornado Classic.
