BOONE, N.C. - App State women's indoor track and field nationally ranks top 25 in two events heading into the 2022 Sun Belt Indoor Championships next week.
The triple jump event squad of Peighton Simmons, Jada Branch, Hassani Burris and Djamila Petersen ranks sixth nationally, averaging 12.40 meters (40-08.25).
App State trails only Texas Tech, Oklahoma, TCU, UCF and Nebraska. As a team, Texas Tech ranks No. 6 nationally, and Nebraska sits at No.18 overall in the latest USTFCCCA rankings.
All four of the Mountaineers in the triple jump event squad rank top 10 in the Sun Belt this indoor season. Simmons has led the charge in the event with her conference-leading mark of 43-00.25, which broke the Holmes Center's record in December.
Nationally, Simmons' record-breaking mark ranks No. 21 in the country this indoor season.
Branch also sits atop the Sun Belt podium in triple jump, third at 40-04.00. Burris currently ranks fifth (40-00.75), and Petersen ranks 10th (39-04.00) in the conference.
In long jump, the event squad of Simmons, Taylor Smith, Petersen and Branch ranks No. 18 in the nation, averaging 5.86 meters (19-02.75).
Both Simmons and Smith have posted the top two Sun Belt indoor long jump marks this season. Simmons produced a 19-10.75 effort for the top spot, while Smith's top mark trails fellow teammate Simmons' by just a half-inch at 19-10.25.
App State will compete in the Sun Belt Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 21-22 from Birmingham, Alabama, as Simmons looks to repeat as Sun Belt indoor triple jump champion.
