USA Junior meet kicks off summer season

FAYETTEVILLE - Razorback freshman Gunnar Nixon will compete in the decathlon this weekend at the 2012 USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships. At the three-day competition, Nixon will be joined by teammate Devin Randall and Arkansas signee Jarrion Lawson. The USA Junior Championships will be held June 15-17 at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex in Bloomington, Ind.

In his most recent outing, Nixon turned in a fifth-place finish in the decathlon at the NCAA Championships. The Edmond, Okla., native scored 7,892 points at the national meet to break the American junior record with senior implements. Nixon earned First-Team All-America honors for his performance. Last year as a senior in high school, he finished second at the junior meet behind current teammate Kevin Lazas.

Randall, a freshman on the Arkansas roster, will compete this weekend in the shot put and discus. The finals of the throwing events are scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. (CT) and Sunday at 1:30 p.m., respectively. The field will also include Lawson in the long jump and triple jump. He is part of the Razorbacks' 2012-13 signee class. Lawson is the top-ranked prep athlete in both events.

The 2012 USA Junior Championships is a showcase for high school standouts and top college freshmen. The meet will serve as a qualifier for this year's IAAF World Junior Championships that will be held July 10-15 in Barcelona, Spain.

For more information regarding Razorback track and field or University of Arkansas athletics, please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.