FAYETTEVILLE -- All-Americans Payton Stumbaugh and Devin Clark will be back competing outdoors for the Arkansas Razorbacks women's track and field team after redshirting during the indoor season because of injuries.
Stumbaugh, a junior from Springdale Har-Ber and four-time All-American last year in the pentathlon, heptathlon and hurdles, was sidelined indoors by a stress fracture.
At a glance
ARKANSAS SPRING INVITATIONAL TRACK & FIELD MEET
WHEN Today and Saturday. The decathlon and heptathlon and men’s and women’s hammer are the only events today. Decathlon and heptathlon start at noon today. Hammer starts at 5 p.m. today. Field events are 1-7 p.m. and running events 3-8 p.m. Saturday. The decathlon resumes at 10 a.m. Saturday.
WHERE John McDonnell Field, Fayetteville
WHO Arkansas men’s and women’s team, both ranked No. 3 nationally, will compete. Other teams include Oklahoma State, Tulsa, Wichita State and Missouri State. Arkansas Baptist will be among the junior college teams competing.
TICKETS Admission is free on Friday and $5 for adults and free for 17-and-under and UA students with valid ID on Saturday.
Clark, a sophomore who earned All-American honors last year on the distance medley relay and was second in the SEC cross country championships, sat out indoors because of a foot injury.
Razorbacks Coach Lance Harter said Stumbaugh and Clark will ease their way back into competition this weekend at the Spring Invitational hosted by the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville at John McDonnell Field.
The meet will begin today with the decathlon and continue Saturday with a full schedule of field and running events.
Stumbaugh will run the 100-meter hurdles and possibly on the 1,600 relay. Clark will run the 800.
"It's huge for us to have Payton and Devin in the lineup for us," Harter said. "Now we're back at full strength."
Arkansas' defending NCAA outdoor champion women's team and men's team are both ranked No. 3 in the coaches' poll.
This weekend's meet is being used as a tuneup for next weekend when both teams will compete at the Texas Relays and Stanford Invitational.
"I think it's going to be one of those rust-busters," Harter said of the Spring Invitational events. "Let's get the season started and just get some momentum going, because we jump right into the fire after that at Texas and Stanford."
Arkansas' teams are opening the outdoor season two weeks after both finished fifth at the NCAA indoor meet. The Razorbacks also swept SEC indoor team championships a month ago.
"I'm impressed with our kids and their level of dedication," said Chris Bucknam, Arkansas' men's coach. " ... Now with outdoors starting, they're able to turn around and go, 'Let's do it again, and let's do it bigger and better.'
"Hopefully, we'll do a good enough job coaching them where we don't get in their way and we can have some success. Physically your second peak should be better than your first if you do it right."
The Razorbacks will open the meet at noon today with Brad Culp, Derek Jacobus and Lane Austell going in the decathlon and Ashlee Moore, an Oregon transfer, in the heptathlon.
All-American pole vaulters Lexi and Tori Weeks, sophomores from Cabot, are scheduled to compete Saturday.
Junior All-American distance runner Alex George, the SEC cross country champion, will compete outdoors after redshirting indoors. He'll make his outdoor debut at Stanford.
Bucknam said the key early in the outdoor season is pacing the more experienced Razorbacks so they're ready to peak at the SEC and NCAA meets.
"That's where your coaching staff comes in, knowing which buttons to push and which ones not to push," Bucknam said. "It's a very physically demanding sport, which becomes a mental thing as well.
"You've got to prepare them, but you're not leaning on them. It's a fine line. Our training process is absolutely as meticulous as possible to get them back up there."
In addition to Arkansas, teams competing at the Spring Invitational include Oklahoma State, Tulsa, Missouri State and Wichita State.
Sports on 03/24/2017