NEW ORLEANS -- Heading into nationals, the Augustana women's track and field team cracked the top-25 in the national rankings for the first time this season, coming in at No. 23 the USTFCCCA announced Monday. 

This week's rankings are based solely on the entries for the 2020 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships in Birmingham, Alabama. Three Viking women qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships, Olivia Montez Brown in the pentathlon and 60 meter hurdles, Elizabeth Schaefer in the pentathlon and Carly Rahn in the 800-meter. 

Montez Brown is set to defend her 2019 national championship in the pentathlon. Last season, Montez Brown won the title while setting the Augustana school record with 3,915 points in the event. This season, the senior won the pentathlon at the Mark Schuck Open on Feb. 1 with 3,638 points. Recently at the NSIC Championships, Montez Brown placed second in the event with a season-best 3,682 points. The mark is currently the seventh-best in the country. 

In the 60-meter hurdles, Montez Brown owns the 13th-best time in the country with an 8.63 (just .01 away from her personal best), which she ran at the SDSU Holiday Invite on Dec. 6. She also placed first in the event at the NSIC Indoor Challenge and NSIC Championships with times of 8.79 and 8.74, respectively. 

Schaefer enjoyed a fantastic indoor campaign, culminating in an NSIC Championship in the pentathlon with a score of 3,692 points. The mark was her best of the season and is currently sixth in the country. The freshman also placed fifth in the event in her college debut at the SDSU Holiday Invite on Dec. 6 and second at the Mark Schuck Open on Feb. 1. 

Rahn ran a 2:12.13 in the 800-meter at the NSIC Championships to give her second-place honors and the 11th-fastest time in the country. The junior also won the 800-meter run at the Bison Open on Feb. 8 and NSIC Indoor Challenge on Feb. 15. 

In addition to their three national qualifiers, five other Viking women claimed USTFCCCA All-Region Honors.

The national qualifiers are set for competition Friday and Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama.