FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012 – MEDIA RELATIONS CONTACT: Zach Lawson (zlawson@uark.edu)

 

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD

Final tune-up before championship season

 

            FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – For the last time this season, the No. 11 University of Arkansas men’s track and field team will compete on its home track Friday at the Arkansas Twilight. Field events at John McDonnell Field are set to begin at 11 a.m. (CT) with running events starting at 6 p.m. This will mark the Razorbacks’ final competition before next week’s Southeastern Conference Championships.

            “We’ll use this week as an opportunity to sharpen up,” head coach Chris Bucknam said. “This is our last competition before the conference meet. The weather looks like it will be great and the track is fast so, hopefully, we can improve on a few marks and pick up some national qualifiers, too.”

            The Razorbacks will be joined Friday by No. 20 Oklahoma and No. 23 Kansas, in addition to regional competition from Oklahoma State, Rice, Tulsa, UMKC and Wichita State. The Arkansas Twilight is also scheduled to feature 2012 World Indoor champion Aries Merritt in the 110-meter hurdles and three-time Olympic gold medalist Jeremy Wariner in the 400 meters.

            Through the first five weeks of the season, the team has collected four top-10 national marks. Andrew Irwin leads the NCAA in the pole vault with his school-record effort of 5.60m/18-4.5. Last weekend at the Drake Relays, the 4x400-meter team of Marek Niit, Akheem Gauntlett, Ben Skidmore and Neil Braddy combined for a time of 3:02.47, the third fastest in the country. Individually, Gauntlett is ranked sixth at 400 meters with a season best of 45.65. Gunnar Nixon has the No. 9 decathlon score at 7,660 points. 

            Arkansas moved up three spots to No. 11 in the May 1 release of the USTFCCCA national poll. The SEC continues to lead the country with seven ranked teams, all of which are inside the top 20. The Razorbacks have been a top-15 teams the entire season, dating back to the start of the indoor campaign.

The Razorbacks’ championship season begins May 10-13 with the SEC Championships in Baton Rouge, La. Next, the team will participate in the NCAA West Preliminary (May 24-26) in Austin, Texas. The 2012 collegiate season comes to a close June 6-9 with the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Several Razorbacks will continue competition into the summer months with the USA Junior Championships (June 15-17) in Bloomington, Ind., and the USA Olympic Trials (June 22-July 1) in Eugene, Ore.

Meet coverage for the Arkansas Twilight is scheduled to include live results and an interactive blog that will start at 4 p.m. For more information regarding Razorback track and field or University of Arkansas athletics, please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

 

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