Women?s track set for MSSU meet

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas Razorback women’s track and field will send a small contingent of student-athletes to the Missouri Southern Invitational this weekend.

Held at St. John’s Track at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center, running and field events will be held Friday, 2:30-7:50 p.m., and Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Live results and a complete meet recap will be available at ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

Competing for Arkansas will be associate head coach Rolando Greene’s sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers. Student-athletes expected to compete include Peter-Gaye Beckford, Courtenay Brown, Janine Davis, Shelise Williams and many of the newcomers. Arkansas will also enter two 4×400-meter relays.

In the 2009 preseason poll, the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association rank Texas A&M, LSU and Michigan in the top three of its preseason poll, released Jan. 8. Arkansas, seated No. 11, is one of seven SEC schools listed in the poll.

At last week’s Arkansas Invitational, the Razorbacks opened the season with one NCAA automatic mark and three NCAA provisional marks at Friday’s Arkansas Invitational. Katie Stripling won the pole vault, clearing 13-9.25 to earn her spot at the NCAA Championships in March.

Currently, Arkansas student-athletes hold the top marks in the SEC in the 800 meters (Samantha Learch), mile (Catherine White), 3,000 meters (Ashley Williams), 4×400-meter relay, long jump (Beckford) and pole vault (Stripling).

For more information about the Missouri Southern Invitational, visit http://www.mssu.edu/athletics/menscrosscountry/entry.htm. For more details about Arkansas Athletics, visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.