FAYETTEVILLE -- Track and field athletes representing 35 colleges across the country -- from Florida to Southern California and lots of states in between -- will burn rubber this weekend at the Tyson Invitational.
It's the last major regular-season meet before teams compete for indoor conference and national championships.
"I guess you could refer to it as the Indianapolis 500 time trials," said Chris Bucknam, coach of Arkansas' men's team. "Everybody's just trying to run their car as fast as they can."
Prime time for events at the Randal Tyson Track Center will be 4:30-6:30 p.m. today and 2:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday.
Arkansas' distance runners will be at Iowa State (men) and Washington (women) to compete on oversized tracks that result in faster times for national qualifying marks, but the Razorbacks will have a full force in the field events, sprints and relays at home.
"You're going to see a lot of athleticism with some great jumps and outstanding sprints," Bucknam said. "You're going to see teams putting their best athletes in their events two weeks out of the SEC Championships or the ACCs or Big Tens or Big 12s or Pac-12s."
All of the Power Five conferences are represented at the Tyson Invitational, with a combined 22 nationally ranked men's and women's teams.
The men's field is led by No. 1 Florida, No. 3 LSU, No. 5 Arkansas, No. 8 Southern California, No. 12 Texas Tech, No. 15 Texas and No. 16 Kansas, which is coached by former Razorback Stanley Redwine.
Arkansas' No. 2-ranked women's team leads a field that includes No. 4 Southern California, No. 5 Florida, No. 6 Kentucky, No. 7 LSU, No. 8 Texas, No. 12 Baylor, No. 13 Kansas State and No. 16 Purdue.
Ohio State is sending its men's and women's teams. Harvard's No. 24 women's team is representing the Ivy League.
"We're a destination," Bucknam said of teams wanting to compete at the Tyson Center. "We have been and we continue to be. We still have the best indoor track in the country with the richest history."
Lance Harter, the Arkansas women's' coach, said performances this weekend are important for seeding at the SEC meet as well as qualifying for nationals.
"Now is the final opportunity to really get everything set for the SEC Championships, which obviously is the highlight of our season," Harter said. "We want to make sure we have an optimal opportunity to try to defend that title.
"Basically, we need improvement in every event, and it's imperative we get it done this weekend."
Arkansas sophomore pole vaulters Tori and Lexi Weeks -- twins from Cabot -- rank 1-2 in the nation at 14 feet, 10¼ inches and 14-6¼, respectively, and will compete today.
Other highlight events are:
• The triple jump with Arkansas senior Clive Pullen, the defending NCAA champion, going against Florida's KeAndre Bates.
• The 400 meters with LSU's Michael Cherry and Arkansas' Obi Igbokwe.
• The long jump with Arkansas' Andreas Trajkovski and Florida's Grant Holloway.
• The 1,600 relay with Arkansas and Southern California.
• The 60 hurdles with Arkansas' Taliyah Brooks and Purdue's Devynne Charlton.
• The long jump with Arkansas' Kelsey Herman and Kentucky's Sha'Keela Saunders.
• The 400 with Arkansas' Daina Harper and Southern California's Kendall Ellis.
Events this weekend will help Bucknam and Harter determine their squads for the SEC Championships held Feb. 24-25 in Nashville, Tenn. Teams are limited to 27 entrants for the SEC meet.
"There's no one person that isn't underlined in red," Bucknam said. "Every athlete is critical, and we're trying to figure out who that top 27 are for us."
At a glance
WHEN Today and Saturday. Prime time for events is 4:30-6:30 p.m. today and 2:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday. Events begin at 1 p.m. today and 11:30 a.m. Saturday. WHERE Randal Tyson Track Center, Fayetteville WHO Arkansas’ No. 2-ranked women’s team and No. 5-ranked men’s team are hosting a loaded field, which includes Florida, Southern California, LSU and Texas among 35 colleges. ADMISSION An adult ticket is $5. There is no charge for Arkansas students or those 17 and younger.
Sports on 02/10/2017