UA track opens outdoor season
Derek Oxford
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Sports
Arkansas' track and field team prepares to make an adjustment this weekend, as it switches from the indoor season to the outdoor campaign.
The Hogs will open the outdoor season with two events. One is the 81st Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, which begin Saturday and will go through Monday.
Arkansas has a stellar record in their previous attempts in the Texas Relays. It has captured first place 53 times since the meet was first held in 1925.
Some of the Hogs will also compete in the Stanford Invitational, held in Palo Alto, Calif. It begins today and will conclude on Saturday. It is renowned for being a strong meet for distance runners.
Opening the season ranked at No. 13, Arkansas is one of six Southeastern Conference teams ranked in the Top 25, proving that competition will likely be very tough in the SEC.
One of Arkansas' leaders going into the outdoor season will be 2008 SEC Indoor Triple Jump champion Nkosinza Balumbu. He is a four-time All-American and four-time SEC champion in the event, and is ranked No. 3 in the triple jump by RunnerSpace.com's E-8 individual rankings.
Another Hog who will have to be on his best is sprinter J-Mee Samuels, who is coming off a solid season in the indoor circuit. He placed third in the 200 meters and fifth in the 60 meters. He is ranked No. 5 in the 100 meters according to RunnerSpace.com.
Experience will be counted on from Peter Kosgei, a 10-time All-American and a five-time SEC champion. He ranks seventh among returning 3,000-meter steeplechasers, and will run at the Stanford Invitational.
Tyler Hill also will be counted on for a good finish in the distance events that he will run in Palo Alto. He is coming off earning his first All-America honor by placing eighth in the 5,000-meters at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championship.
For both Kosgei and Hill, this will be their final outdoor season in a Hog uniform.
In Austin, the Hogs will compete in a variety of relay competitions, including the 4x800-meter relay, the 4x100-meter relay, the sprint medley relay, the 4x1, 500-meter relay and the distance medley relay.
The Hogs will open the outdoor season with two events. One is the 81st Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, which begin Saturday and will go through Monday.
Arkansas has a stellar record in their previous attempts in the Texas Relays. It has captured first place 53 times since the meet was first held in 1925.
Some of the Hogs will also compete in the Stanford Invitational, held in Palo Alto, Calif. It begins today and will conclude on Saturday. It is renowned for being a strong meet for distance runners.
Opening the season ranked at No. 13, Arkansas is one of six Southeastern Conference teams ranked in the Top 25, proving that competition will likely be very tough in the SEC.
One of Arkansas' leaders going into the outdoor season will be 2008 SEC Indoor Triple Jump champion Nkosinza Balumbu. He is a four-time All-American and four-time SEC champion in the event, and is ranked No. 3 in the triple jump by RunnerSpace.com's E-8 individual rankings.
Another Hog who will have to be on his best is sprinter J-Mee Samuels, who is coming off a solid season in the indoor circuit. He placed third in the 200 meters and fifth in the 60 meters. He is ranked No. 5 in the 100 meters according to RunnerSpace.com.
Experience will be counted on from Peter Kosgei, a 10-time All-American and a five-time SEC champion. He ranks seventh among returning 3,000-meter steeplechasers, and will run at the Stanford Invitational.
Tyler Hill also will be counted on for a good finish in the distance events that he will run in Palo Alto. He is coming off earning his first All-America honor by placing eighth in the 5,000-meters at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championship.
For both Kosgei and Hill, this will be their final outdoor season in a Hog uniform.
In Austin, the Hogs will compete in a variety of relay competitions, including the 4x800-meter relay, the 4x100-meter relay, the sprint medley relay, the 4x1, 500-meter relay and the distance medley relay.
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