Razorback Women ranked seventh in preseason poll
By: UA Sports Information
Updated: January 8, 2013
FAYETTEVILLE,
Ark.
- In the preseason poll released Tuesday afternoon by the U.S. Track
and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the
University of Arkansas
women's track and field team received a No. 7 ranking. The Razorbacks
begin their season Friday with a dual meet against Oklahoma State.
"We ended last (indoor) season as the No. 5 team in
the nation," head coach Lance Harter said. "We've got some young
additions that will help fill the shoes of those who have graduated. We
feel like we have some national-caliber scorers like Regina George and
across the board, we have people that will threaten
those spots at the national championships."
Based on last year's achievements, the Razorbacks'
2013 roster features eight All-Americans that combined for 18
All-America accolades last season, along with SEC championships Makeba
Alcide (pentathlon) and Regina George (400 meters) and last year's SEC
Outdoor Freshman Runner of the Year Dominique Scott.
With back-to-back top-five national finishes at the
NCAA Indoor Championships, Arkansas now has five top-five finishes and
nine top-10 showings in the program's history. The Razorbacks finished
in fifth place last season and placed fourth in 2011.
"The distance crew had a very good cross country season
and is very youthful with just one senior," Harter said. "Semehar
(Tesfaye) is a runner who has advanced to the NCAAs and has that
experience. She leads the charge as far as experience goes but we also
have Grace Heymsfield who probably had the most successful
cross country season and is really ready to make a debut at the indoor
nationals.
"(In the multi-events), Makeba Alcide is a returning
All-American and in better shape than she's ever been. She's had a
fantastic fall and when she puts it all together, she is definitely a
national scorer. In the pole vault, we lost Tina Sutej but we have a new
young lady named Sandi Morris that has jumped 14
feet and advanced to the national meet. I think she will lead the charge
with our pole vault."
Harter returns for his 23rd
season as the head coach of the Arkansas women's cross country and track
and field program. Chris Johnson begins his first season as the
associate head coach after spending the previous eight years at Penn
State. Johnson was a graduate assistant on Harter's
staff in 2003 and 2004. Assistant coach Bryan Compton enters his 15th season at Arkansas.
The season-opening event starts at 4 p.m. (CT) at
the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville. General admission tickets
for home meets are $5, while fans 17 years and younger are admitted for
free and University of Arkansas students get in free with valid student
ID.
Friday's competition is the first of 11 home meets--six
indoor and five outdoor--for the Razorbacks this season. Arkansas'
hosting duties will include the 2013 NCAA and SEC Indoor Track and Field
Championships. The indoor national meet will be contested March 8-9,
while the conference meet will take place Feb. 22-24.
For
more information regarding Razorback track
and field or University of Arkansas athletics, please visit
ArkansasRazorbacks.com. Fans can also keep up with Arkansas cross
country and track and field through the team's sport-specific
RazorbackTF Facebook and Twitter pages.
USTFCCCA Preseason Top 10
1. Clemson (ACC) - 150.90 points
2. Kansas (Big 12) - 147.20
3. Oregon (Pac-12) - 146.75
4. LSU (SEC) - 124.98
5. Florida (SEC) - 114.99
6. Texas A&M (SEC) - 112.36
7. ARKANSAS (SEC) - 112.17
8. Iowa State (Big 12) - 76.31
9. California (Pac-12) - 70.74
10. Washington (Pac-12) - 69.48
