Bilbrew Balumbu Earn Weekly Conference Honors

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Razorbacks Chris Bilbrew and Nkosinza Balumbu earned weekly track and field awards given out by the Southeastern Conference, it was announced on Tuesday.

The SEC Field Athlete of the Week, Nkosinza Balumbu became the first Razorback to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships on day two of the Tyson Invitational at the Randal Tyson Track Center. Balumbu finished fourth in the championship triple jump, third among collegians, with an NCAA automatic-qualifying mark of 53-2.25. The newly elected captain of the 2008 Razorbacks leads the SEC by nearly two feet and ranks No. 4 in the nation.

Also at the Tyson Invitational, the SEC Freshman of the Week, Chris Bilbrew finished fourth in the invitational 800 meters with an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 1:50.27. His time is a personal best and he was the only freshman to compete in a race dominated my professionals. His time ranks sixth in the SEC, the best among freshmen, and tied for 25th in the nation, the sixth-best among freshmen competitors. Bilbrew also ran a 46.8 400-meter split as a member of the distance medley relay.

Arkansas will return to the track Feb. 29-March 2 for the SEC Indoor Championships, held at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville. Log on to www.hogwired.com for more news about Razorback track and field.