COLUMBIA, Mo. - After a successful close to the regular season, the men of Mizzou Track & Field find themselves in the top-30 of the NCAA rankings for the first time since 2010.  The Tigers came in at No. 26 in the latest release, put out by the USTFCCCA (U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) on Monday (May 2).  

Mizzou is one of 11 teams from the SEC ranked in the top 30, as the conference continues to dominate the national field.  Of those 11, five own the top-ranks in the nation, with Texas A&M leading at No. 1 in the country, followed by Florida (No. 2), LSU (No. 3), Arkansas (No. 4), and Georgia (No. 5).  

The women's top-10 looks much the same, with the SEC owning five slots - Kentucky (No. 1), Arkansas (No. 2), Florida (No. 6), LSU (No. 7), and Texas A&M (No. 10).

This jump in the rankings for the men came after an exciting meet weekend in Memphis, Tennesee, which was highlighted by a school record performance at the hands of freshman Matthew Ludwig.  Ludwig added another four-inches to the school record height in the pole vault, previously held by five-time All-American Brian Hancock.  His final bar of 5.46m (17-11) not only ranks at the top of the Mizzou history books, but also puts him at No. 8 in the national rankings for the event.

Other well-ranked Tigers on the men's side include senior Markesh Woodson (No. 6, 100m dash), junior Reinhard Van Zyl (No. 9, javelin), sophomore Alex Pascal (No. 14, javelin), freshman Kahmari Montgomery (No. 19, 400m dash), sophomore John Warren (No. 21, triple jump), senior Will Crocker (No. 24, 1500m run), and senior Tony Carodine (No. 26, triple jump).

The men and women now look forward to the SEC Championships, hosted by Alabama from May 12-14.  For the latest on your Tigers, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter @MIZ_TrackField.