Harter adds NLI for 2009-10

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas Razorback women’s track and field head coach Lance Harter has added a middle distance runner for the 2009-10 season, it was announced on Wednesday.

Keri Wood will join the Razorbacks next fall as a true freshman. A native of College Station, Texas, Wood attends A&M Consolidated High School. She has earned academic excellence awards in cross country and track and field and is a member of the National Honor Society.

"Keri will be a great addition to our group," Harter said. "She’s had success in cross country, on the track and in the classroom. She’ll add depth to the middle distance group and give us some flexibility in that area. I think she’ll really thrive, academically and athletically, in an atmosphere like Fayetteville. We are excited to have her as a Razorback."

On the track, she holds personal bests of 2:13.92 in the 800 meters, 4:59.96 in the 1,600 meters and 11:52.40 in the 3,200 meters. As a sophomore she finished sixth in the 1,600 meters at the state meet. She bettered that to a fifth-place finish as a junior.

Last weekend, she won the District 12-5A title in the 1,600 meters with a time of 5:13.30 and earned a runner-up finish in the 800 meters (2:16.30).

In cross country, she is a two-time state qualifier with a seventh-place finish as a sophomore and an eighth-place finish as a junior.

Wood will join a solid group of middle distance and distance runners that includes SEC Cross Country Champion Catherine White and NCAA and regional qualifiers Megan Jackson and Jillian Rosen.

The Razorback women’s track and field team will compete next at Drake Relays, April 24-25, in Des Moines, Iowa. For more information, visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.