No. 1 UA women lead Tyson Invitational field

FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas Razorbacks’ women’s track and field team has risen to No. 1 nationally in the coaches’ poll.

“It’s nice to be highly thought of,” Razorbacks Coach Lance Harter said. “With balance across the board, we’re a pretty potent team.

“Will all those points be reflected at the national meet? Those points get hard to come by. But we’re in the conversation.”

The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville women’s team and No. 6-ranked men’s team host the Tyson Invitational today and Saturday at the Randal Tyson Center.

Teams from around the country will be competing at the meet, including LSU, Texas, Missouri, Auburn, Florida State, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Colorado, Indiana, Purdue, Iowa, Houston and SMU.

Arkansas’ men and women’s distance runners will compete at the Husky Classic this weekend in Seattle, but the top sprinters and field event athletes are in Fayetteville.

“You’re always looking for somebody to push you,” said Arkansas men’s assistant Doug Case, who coaches the sprinters. “The Tyson meet’s always a great field, always a great bunch of teams from all over the country coming here because they know it’s a great place to run.”

Arkansas’ women’s team features junior pole vaulters Lexi Jacobus and Tori Hoggard — twin sisters fom Cabot.

Jacobus (15 feet, 23/4 in inches) and Hoggard (14103/4) rank second and third nationally behind Kentucky junior Olivia Gruver (153). Arkansas junior Desiree Freier ranks sixth in the pole vault (14-43/4).

Razorbacks senior Payton Stumbaugh Chadwick is expected to compete in the 60-meter hurdles and 200 and senior Taliyah Brooks in the long jump.

Chadwick ranks second nationally in the 200 (22.99), eighth in the hurdles (8.14) and ninth in the long jump (20-8). Brooks is the national leader in the pentathlon with 4,395 points and ranks fifth in the hurdles (8.09) and sixth in the long jump (20-103/4). Razorbacks sophomore Jada Baylark ranks sixth nationally in the 60 (7.24).

In the men’s competition, Arkansas junior Obi Igbokwe is the national leader in the 400 (45.72) and senior Kenzo Cotton ranks seventh in the 200 (6.63). Cotton also is expected to run the 60.

Case said the Razorbacks will have several entrants in the open 400 today that will determine who runs on the 1,600 relay on Saturday.

“The meet sets up well for it,” Case said. “We’ll run the 400 [today and then we can come back and be fresh in the [relay] Saturday. We’re going to get after that thing.”

“This one is strictly run fast, post marks, jump high,” Harter said. “And let’s move on and get ready for SECs.”

The SEC Championships will be held Feb. 24-25 in College Station, Texas.