Arkansas Set to Host Two-Day Razorback Invitational

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. Arkansas track and field will continue the 2007 indoor season Fri.-Sat., Jan. 19-20, when they host the Razorback Invitational at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

The Razorback Invitational is free for all spectators with the multis beginning at 12 p.m., the field events beginning at 3 p.m. and the running events at 6 p.m. on Friday. Competition will resume with the multis at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The running events will begin at 11 a.m. and the field events will follow at 1 p.m. The championship heats and the finals of the running events will begin at 3 p.m.

UA will host 21 teams at the two-day Razorback Invitational starting Friday. Among them, Harding, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts, South Alabama, TCU and Tulsa will each be making the trip to Fayetteville.

Arkansas ended the 2006 indoor season winning its 42nd national championship (11 cross country, 19 indoor, 12 outdoor). The Razorbacks have won 80 conference titles, the most recent being head coach John McDonnell’s 33rd-consecutive conference cross country title in October, 2006. The Razorbacks have seen 179 athletes earn 638 All-America honors.

Last week at the Arkansas Invitational, the Hogs recorded five NCAA provisional-qualifying marks, two personal bests and two first-place finishes.

Arkansas track and field is ranked No. 2 by Trackwire 25, it was announced earlier in the week. Six Razorbacks are ranked in six events in the Dandy Dozen and the distance medley relay is seated at No. 2 behind Wisconsin.

J-Mee Samuels, who clocked a personal best and provisional-qualifying time of 6.69 at the Arkansas Invitational, is ranked No. 4 in the 60-meter dash. Eight-time All-American Peter Kosgei is ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, respectively. All-American Adam Perkins is seated at No. 5 in the mile.

In the field events, newcomer Alain Bailey, who also registered a provisional-qualifying mark this past weekend, opens his collegiate career with a ranking of No. 4 in the long jump. In the triple jump, provisionally-qualified All-American Nkosinza Balumbu is at the top of the list with freshman-teammate Gary Jones in the No. 12 spot.

The Trackwire 25 is a power ranking of NCAA Division I track and field teams. The rankings’ methodology takes into account a variety of statistical predictors and is intended to project the outcome of the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships to be held in Fayetteville, Ark., on March 9-10.

Individually, the national performance lists, split by division and conference, can be found at TrackShark.com.

Live results and an updated schedule for the Razorback Invitational can be found at www.hogwired.com or www.flashresults.com.