Just prior to the start of the NCAA indoor track and field season, Florida coach Mike Holloway said one of his main goals for the season was to bring the women's track and field team back to the level he expects for the program. 

The women's team suffered a down year last season, and Holloway said he was making it part of his personal mission to make sure the Gators returned to a national-caliber program.

Today, the women's team  moved into the national rankings with a No. 7 ranking in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) Division I Top 25 poll. This is the first national rankling for the Gator women’s program since February 22, 2011.

This past weekend several athletes set personal bests - including sophomore distance runner Cory McGee who had an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 4:34.06 in the women’s mile. McGee’s time leads the SEC and is fourth in the nation this season.

The Gator women’s 4x400 meter relay team, comprised of Lanie Whittaker, Alishea Usery, Bria Goodson and Ebony Eutsey, became the first women’s 4x400 meter relay team to automatically qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships with a time of 3:33.66 (adjusted for altitude) on Friday night at the Don Kirby Collegiate Elite and the Flotrack Husky Classic.

The men's and women's track teams will next be in action at the 2012 SEC Indoor Championships, Feb. 24-26, in Lexington, Ky.