Torchlight Energy to Be Added to the Russell Microcap Index

PLANO, TX--(Marketwired - June 20, 2014) - Torchlight Energy Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRCH) ("Torchlight Energy" or "the Company"), a rapidly growing mid-continent oil and gas company, today announced that it will be added to the Russell Microcap® Index when Russell Investments reconstitutes its comprehensive set of U.S. and global equity indexes on June 27th, according to a preliminary list of additions posted June 13th on www.russell.com/indexes.

"We are pleased to have been recognized and added to the Russell Microcap Index," stated John Brda, Torchlight Energy's President. This inclusion represents another milestone in the growth of our company and we look forward to the additional exposure within the investment community and trading liquidity that it should provide."

The membership in the Russell Microcap Index lasts for a minimum of one year and generates additional inclusion in certain indexes. Russell Investments determines membership for its equity indexes based on objective, market-capitalization other attributes. Russell indexes are widely used by investment managers and institutional investors for index funds and as benchmarks for active investment strategies. Russell calculates more than 700,000 benchmarks daily covering approximately 98 percent of the investable market globally, 80 countries and more than 10,000 securities. Approximately $5.2 trillion in assets are benchmarked to the Russell Indexes.

Annual reconstitution of Russell Indexes captures the 4,000 largest U.S. stocks as of the end of May, ranking them by total market capitalization to create the Russell 3000 Index and Russell Microcap Index. These investment tools originated from Russell's multi-manager investment business in the early 1980s when the company saw the need for a more objective, market-driven set of benchmarks in order to evaluate outside investment managers.

About Russell Investments

Russell Investments is a global asset manager and one of only a few firms that offers actively managed multi-asset portfolios and services that include advice, investments and implementation. The firm stands with institutional investors, financial advisors and individuals working with their advisors -- using the firm's core capabilities that extend across capital market insights, manager research, portfolio construction, portfolio implementation and indexes to help each achieve their desired investment outcomes. Russell has more than $259 billion in assets under management (as of 3/31/2014) and works with over 2,500 institutional clients, independent distribution partners and individual investors globally. As a consultant to some of the largest pools of capital in the world, Russell has $2.4 trillion in assets under advisement (as of 6/30/2013). It has four decades of experience researching and selecting investment managers and meets annually with more than 2,200 managers around the world. Russell traded more than $1.6 trillion in 2013 through its implementation services business.

About Torchlight Energy

Torchlight Energy Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRCH), based in Plano, Texas, is a high growth oil and gas Exploration and Production (E&P) company with a primary focus on acquisition and development of highly profitable domestic oil fields. The company currently holds interests in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma where their targets are established plays such as the Eagle Ford Shale, Mississippi Limestone and Hunton Limestone trends. For additional information on the company, please visit www.torchlightenergy.com.

Forward Looking Statement

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements may involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such statements. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with the company's ability to obtain additional capital in the future to fund planned expansion, the demand for oil and natural gas, general economic factors, competition in the industry and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The company is under no obligation (and expressly disclaims any such obligation) to update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.