No. 9 Razorbacks host Spring Invite
FAYETTEVILLE – The No. 9 University of Arkansas women’s track and field team opens its home schedule Saturday with the Razorback Spring Invitational. The event will be held at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville. Field events begin at 8 a.m. (CT) with the hammer throw and running events get underway with the 4×100-meter relays at 3 p.m.
"Our hurdlers performed well last weekend with conditions that were not ideal," head coach Lance Harter said. "We had three under 14 seconds and warmer weather should produce better times, same with our 400-meter hurdlers. This week the focus will be more on the hurdles. Some of our middle distance runners will also get to strut their stuff."
With one outdoor meet to its credit, Arkansas owns five national marks within the top-10 of four events. Shelise Williams clocked a time of 52.50 to win the 400 meters at the Stanford Invitational and post the No. 2 time in the NCAA. Teammate Regina George (53.46) is sixth overall at that distance. A successful weekend by the distance crew was led by Megan Jackson, eighth in the steeplechase (10:29.92), and Miranda Walker, seventh in the 5,000 meters (16:15.99). The Razorbacks’ 4×400 relay is 10th in the country with a time of 3:39.07.
In addition to the Razorbacks, the field of competition for this weekend’s home meet includes Drake, Kansas, Missouri State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa, UMKC, Butler Community College, Lincoln (Mo.) and Missouri Southern. Oklahoma and Kansas are ranked fourth and 14th, respectively, while Lincoln (Mo.) holds the No. 4 spot in Division II.
The Razorback Spring Invitational marks the first of three home meets for Arkansas this outdoor season. The home schedule also includes the John McDonnell Invitational (April 23) and Arkansas Twilight (May 6). After this weekend’s competition, Arkansas returns to action April 6-9 at the Texas Relays in Austin. For continued coverage and more home meet information, log on to ArkansasRazorbacks.com.
Download: 2011 Razorback Spring Invitational schedule.pdf
