Posted: February 11, 2005

Athletics: Arkansas to Showcase Full Team at Powered by Tyson Invitational

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Top-ranked Arkansas is playing host to one of the top-ranked indoor track and field meets in the country this weekend, the Powered by Tyson Invitational. It is the Hogs’ third home meet of the season and it is one they look forward to with much anticipation as they go for NCAA provisional and qualifying times with a full team slated to compete.

“It’s getting really close to nationals and we need to get our guys qualified; we’re running out of time,” Arkansas head coach John McDonnell said. “We’ve got some of the best teams coming in this weekend from all over the country, so we’ll have great competition.”

A total of 55 programs are making the trip to Fayetteville, including Southeastern Conference foes Alabama, No. 15 Auburn, No. 9 Florida, Kentucky and South Carolina. Thirteen of the top 25-ranked teams will also compete, including No. 2 Indiana.

On Friday Feb. 11, the professional Visa Championship Series portion of the event is being held from 7-9 p.m. Several Razorbacks will have the opportunity to go up against some of the world’s best pro track athletes. The distance medley relay will start off the evening at 7:10 p.m., with seniors Terry Gatson, James Hatch, junior Said Ahmed and sophomore Adam Perkins looking to post a fast time against long-time rival Stanford and Indiana.

The men’s 200 meters could have the potential to produce a new American record (20.26) with four of the nation’s rising sprint stars coming out of the blocks, including UA’s own sophomore national champion Wallace Spearmon Jr., who is currently leading the world with a time of 20.36 that he ran at the Razorback Invitational on Jan. 21. At last year’s meet the Fayetteville, Ark., native made his indoor debut and won the collegiate event with an automatic time of 20.74, while teammate and junior NCAA champion Tyson Gay took the tape in the professional section.

This time around Gay is the one making his indoor debut when he lines up for the 60-meter dash at 8:35 p.m. It is the first time Gay has raced since the finals of the United States Olympic Trials in July and he will be going up against athletes such as Terrence Trammell and Darvis Patton. Trammell is a two-time Olympic silver-medalist hurdler and the 2002 USA indoor 60-meter sprint champion, while Patton is the 2003 world outdoor 200-meter silver medalist.

“Tyson Gay and Wallace Spearmon will have their hands full, because they’re going up against professional athletes,” McDonnell said. “But they’re strong upstairs and I think they’ll be able to handle it. We just want to see a good race out of them.”

On Saturday, Feb. 12 all the collegians will take to the track with the first event kicking the day off at 9 a.m., but most of the championship final events won’t begin until 6:30 p.m. with the 400 meters.

The 5,000 meters is loaded with Razorback runners and it is an event that UA has yet to earn crucial NCAA qualifiers. Junior Josphat Boit will be making his indoor debut in the 5K and is coming off an extremely successful cross country season where he earned All-America honors with a third-place finish at nationals. Joining Boit is senior Jason Sandfort, junior Marc Rodrigues, sophomore Peter Kosgei and freshman Shawn Forrest.

There are two different sections of the 3,000 meters that Arkansas athletes will be competing. In the unseeded division juniors Matt Gunn and Seth Summerside and sophomore Adam Perkins will run and in the college division juniors Luis Bordes, Jose Campos, Josh Robles, sophomore Abdi Dubed and freshman Tyler Hill are entered.

The mile race will also be very exciting with junior Said Ahmed, Perkins and Summerside riding outstanding performances in New York, while senior Eric Gross will see action in the unseeded section.

Junior James Hatch is the only Hog in the championship section of the 800 meters and he will look to put up an auto time after he almost hit the standard at the Armory. Juniors Harun Iman, Brian Roe and David Wittenmyer will represent UA in the unseeded heat.

Arkansas’ talented sprinters will enjoy quality fields as they push themselves to fast performances. Freshman two-sport athlete Michael Grant will line up in the 60 and 200-meter dashes, while senior Omar Brown, Gay and freshman Creighton Kiper are only in the 200. The 200 meters will not have a championship final, but heats against time are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.

The field events will also see plenty of competition for Razorbacks. Senior All-American Jaanus Uudmae will lead the charge as he competes in both the long and triple jump. Freshman Chessly Johnson is also entered in the triple jump.

In the high jump sophomore Greg Martin will make his indoor debut, with junior Cory Oldham and freshman Brent Rosson. Junior Jimmy Duke will fill his usual position in the pole vault.

After hosting the Powered by Tyson Invitational the Hogs will enjoy a week off, before they prepare to reclaim the SEC Indoor Championship on their own track. The conference meet will be held on Feb. 25-27.