Lady'Backs set for conference championship

FAYETTEVILLE – The 16th-ranked University of Arkansas Lady Razorback track team begins its quest for a fourth Southeastern Conference outdoor track championships on Thursday afternoon at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The Lady Razorbacks are looking to improve upon last season’s SEC finish and appear to have the personnel to accomplish the task. On a roll over the past month, the Lady Razorbacks have climbed both the conference and national descending order lists and over the past two weeks have claimed three of the four SEC athlete of the week honors.

“We should be a potent team this weekend,” Arkansas head coach Lance Harter said. “We have some great athletes, but are certainly not the favorites this weekend. LSU, Tennessee and Georgia are going to be tough teams to beat and if everything goes right we could have a chance.”

Action begins on Thursday afternoon with the first day of the multi-event competitions where Etienne Chaplin hopes to improve upon her second-place finish at the SEC Indoor Championships. Chaplin enters the competition with the conference’s best heptathlon score at 5,329, one of the best marks in the nation and is considered by some as a favorite at the SEC meet.

The first points of the meet will be available on Friday when the 10,000 meters, hammer throw and heptathlon competitions conclude. The Lady Razorbacks have a stacked 10,000-meter lineup with four Lady’Backs in the competition and could score big points in that event as well as the heptathlon.

For more information about Lady Razorback track or about Arkansas women’s athletics, please go to LADYBACKS.COM.