Tyson Invitational features top college, pro athletes
Posted on Friday, February 15, 2008
Endless 200-meter dash qualifying heats, more squadrons of 3, 000-meter runners than the Army has soldiers, and pole vaulters and triple jumpers leaping into the night.
Those are the often necessary evils of big, multi-day, weekend indoor track meets.
However it will be see no evil for all that tonight at the Tyson Invitational meet the University of Arkansas hosts at the Randal Tyson Indoor Track.
College track purists can get all that they want this morning and afternoon and Saturday morning and afternoon in the huge collegiate field of men’s and women’s teams assembling here.
But tonight from 8 p. m. to 9: 55, it’s the just the cream of the collegiate crop and some of the world’s best professionals that Tyson Invitational promoter Artie Huff, with input from Razorback coach John McDonnell and Lady Razorback coach Lance Harter, has competing in 14 men’s and women’s events.
All events tonight are straight finals including men’s and women’s races in the 60, 200, 800, mile and the 4 x 400 relay plus the men’s 60-meter hurdles, 5, 000-meter run and shot put and women’s pole vault.
“ This meet will be two hours, ” McDonnell said. “ Artie Huff has done a great job tailoring it down. People want to see non-stop action and that’s what they are going to see with some of the best athletes in the world. ”
Tonight’s two field events, by the way, could be the show-stoppers of the meet.
The four-man all-Team Nike shot put field includes the Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 6 thranked in Adam Nelson (72-5 ), Christian Cantwell (70-0 1-2 ), Reese Hoffa (69-4 ) and Dan Taylor (66-10 1-2 ).
“ I’ve never seen so many great shot-putters in one spot, ” McDonnell said. “ When you’ve got guys that big and strong, it will be exciting. ”
As for tonight’s women’s pole vault, it’s so elite that even Lady Razorback NCAA qualifiers Katie Stripling of Jonesboro and Stephanie Irwin of Mount Ida aren’t in it.
They will vault Saturday afternoon in a top collegiate. Tonight it’s an All-Pro seven-woman field led by world-leader Jenn Stuczynski of adidas (15-5 1-2 ), No. 3-ranked Jillian Schwartz of Nike (15-2 1-4 ), Lacy Jansen of Nike (14-10 1-4 ), and former Lady Razorback multi-All-American April Steiner of Nike.
“ This is pole vault paradise, ” Harter said. “ Our runway and pit is probably the best in the United States. So having the world’s best here with Jenn and our own April Steiner, it should be something. ”
As for the races, Fayetteville High grad and former Razorback Wallace Spearmon, running for Nike, aims to break his own American record of 20. 10 in the 200-meter dash he set while winning at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships for Arkansas on this very track.
Spearmon also is entered as one of four professionals in the 60-meter dash which also includes Arkansas ’ JMee Samuels and LSU’s Trindon Holliday.
Alistair Cragg, arguably the greatest Razorback distance runner ever, will run tonight’s 5, 000-meter run for Nike and will pace Saturday’s 5, 000 for the collegians trying to meet NCAA Indoor qualifying standards.
As for Razorbacks competing tonight, Alex McClary — who will come back with his brother Andy McClary, Chris Bilbrew and Duncan Phillips trying for a NCAA automatic qualifier in the distance medley relay — will run the 800 along with pros James Hatch, a former Razorback, Sam Burley, Brandon Shaw and Floyd Thompson.
Lady Razorback Dacia Barr will run in tonight’s women’s mile headed by former Lady Razorback All-American Christin Wurth-Thomas of Nike.
An all-collegiate women’s 4 x 400 tonight features SEC mile relay powers LSU, South Carolina and Arkansas plus Miami and Penn State. The best men 4 x 400 s of the SEC and Big 12 (LSU, Georgia and Kentucky and Baylor and Texas Tech ) will run head to head.
Fans getting a taste of the elite tonight may still want to come back Saturday for what could be a pivotal day for McDonnell’s Razorbacks and Harter’s Lady Razorbacks to qualify athletes for the NCAA meet.
Other than the Last Chance Meet on March 7, the SEC Championships, Feb. 29-March 2 here, is all that remains before the UA hosts the NCAA Indoor Championships March 14-15.
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