The Warm-Up Lap: First Meets of the Week for 2014

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The Warm-Up Lap: First Meets of the Week for 2014
January 17, 2014

NEW ORLEANS – Now into the third full weekend of the 2014 portion of the indoor collegiate track & field season and the first with preseason National Team Computer Rankings, the hotspots of activity this weekend are becoming clearer with the USTFCCCA’s first Meets of the Week.

A good ol’ fashioned dual meet headlines Division I when the top-ranked Arkansas men take on No. 15 Texas and the No. 1 Texas women square off against No. 7 Arkansas. Storylines abound in Arkansas with the Razorback men looking to defend their 2013 NCAA indoor title and the Longhorns debuting new head coach Mario Sategna and some new transfers including two-time national outdoor 400 meters champ Ashley Spencer.

A GLIAC rivalry between Ashland, Findlay and Hillsdale makes for the Division II Meet of the Week, while some of Division II’s best will square off with Division III’s top teams at the Armory in NYC for the Ramapo College Indoor Select — DIII’s Meet of the Week.

Also included within each Division’s preview is a look at some of its other top match-ups and an overview of where the top 10 men’s and women’s teams will be in action.

USTFCCCA InfoZone: Broadcast Schedule
Friday, January 17, 2014
12:55 PM ET /
11:55 AM CT Texas A&M 12-Team Invitational
(College Station, Texas) WEB: AggieAthletics.com LIVE NOW!
until 7:35 PM ET
1:00 PM ET /
10:00 AM PT UCS Spirit National Pole Vault Summit
(Reno, Nevada) WEB: UCSSpirit.com LIVE NOW!
until 1:00 AM ET
4:00 PM ET Kentucky Invitational
(Lexington, Ky.) WEB: UKAthletics.com LIVE
sub. Required
7:00 PM ET Arkansas-Texas
(Fayetteville, Ark.) WEB: ArkansasRazorbacks.com LIVE
sub. Required



Saturday, January 18, 2014
Washington Indoor Preview
(Seattle, Wash.) WEB: Flotrack Pro LIVE
sub. required
9:00 AM ET Kentucky Invitational
(Lexington, Ky.) WEB: UKAthletics.com LIVE
sub. Required
11:00 AM ET /
8:00 AM PT UCS Spirit National Pole Vault Summit
(Reno, Nevada) WEB: UCSSpirit.com LIVE
12:55 PM ET /
11:55 AM CT Texas A&M 10-Team Invitational
(College Station, Texas) WEB: AggieAthletics.com LIVE



MEETS OF THE WEEK
Division I Meet of the Week
Arkansas vs. Texas Dual

Friday, Jan. 17 | 7 p.m. ET | Meet Schedule | Fayetteville, Ark.
FOLLOW LIVE: Video | Live Results

When the No. 1 men’s team in the land — per the USTFCCCA National Team Computer Rankings — and the No. 1 women’s team are both under the same roof for one meet, it’s difficult to call anything else the meet of the week. Fayetteville, Ark., will be the site of such a scenario Friday as the Arkansas’ No. 1 men host No. 15 Texas and the No. 1 Texas women take on No. 7 Arkansas.

The meet looks even better viewed through the lens of Track & Field News’ Dual Meet Rankings, in which Arkansas’ and Texas’ men are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. On the women’s side, Texas is No. 2 while Arkansas is No. 4.

Since this series began in 2010 as a showdown between the Arkansas and Texas men’s programs, the Razorbacks have claimed hard-fought victories in all four of the encounters. This year marks the first time the women have squared off against one another.

High-profile Illinois transfer Ashley Spencer — the two-time defending outdoor 400 meters champion and an early-season favorite for The Bowerman Trophy — will be making her debut in Texas’ burnt orange at both 60 and 200 meters.

Not only will this be the first big test for first-year Texas head coach Mario Sategna, it will indeed be his first track & field meet as the new head man in Austin. Meanwhile, this is just the first major hurdle on Arkansas men’s coach Chris Bucknam’s road to lead his team to a national title defense.

Other Division I Meets to Watch:

Auburn Indoor Invitational
Men: #7 Florida State, #11 Mississippi State, #13 Georgia, #16 Mississippi, #24 Alabama, #25 LSU
Women: #5 Georgia, #8 LSU, #15 Mississippi State, #19 Florida State

Washington Indoor Preview
Men: #3 Oregon, #20 Stanford
Women: #4 Oregon, #9 Stanford, #20 Washington

Texas A&M 10-Team invitational
Men: #5 Baylor, #18 Baylor
Women: #2 Texas A&M



TOP 10 DI MEN’S TEAMS IN ACTION
Team Meet
1. Arkansas DUAL: Arkansas-Texas
3. Oregon Washington Indoor Preview
4. Wisconsin Badger Track Classic
5. Texas A&M Texas A&M 10-Team Invitational
6. Penn State Nittany Lion Challenge
7. Florida State Auburn Invitational
8. Nebraska Holiday Inn Invitational
9. Minnesota Northwest Open
10. Oklahoma State Wildcat Invitational



TOP 10 DI WOMEN’S TEAMS IN ACTION
Team Meet
1. Texas DUAL: Arkansas-Texas
2. Texas A&M Texas A&M 10-Team Invitational
4. Oregon Washington Indoor Preview
5. Georgia Auburn Invitational
6. Kentucky Kentucky Invitational
7. Arkansas DUAL: Arkansas-Texas
8. LSU Auburn Invitational
9. Stanford Washington Indoor Preview
10. Kansas Holiday Inn Invitational



Division II Meet of the Week

Findlay Northwest Ohio Invitational

Friday, Jan. 17 | 2:30 p.m. ET | Meet Schedule | Findlay, Ohio

The Northwest Ohio Invitational at Findlay on Friday will feature top-25 match-ups in both the men’s and women’s competitions as the No. 3 Ashland men and No. 4 Ashland women open up their 2014 schedules against the No. 6 Findlay and No. 24 Hillsdale men.

Among those men competing are defending men’s 800 meters national champion Drew Windle of Ashland against fourth-ranked Dillon Webster of Findlay at 500 meters; Division II men’s weight throw leader Justin Welch of Findlay, and fourth-ranked men’s miler Brian Baum of Ashland

The women’s competition is headlined by second-ranked women’s high jumper Jennifer Foster of Ashland and seventh-ranked pentathlete Pam Showman in the high jump, 60-meter hurdles, shot put and 500 meters.

Other Division II Meets to Watch:

Adams State University Open
Men: #2 Adams State
Women: #3 Adams State, #9 Western State

Ramapo College Indoor Select
Men: #8 Southern Connecticut, #10 Academy of Art
Women: #10 Academy of Art, #12 New Haven, #18 Georgian Court



TOP 10 DII MEN’S TEAMS IN ACTION
Team Meet
1. Saint Augustine’s Virginia Tech Invitational
2. Adams State Adams State University Open
3. Ashland Northwest Ohio Invitational
4. Grand Valley State Mike Lints Open
6. Findlay Northwest Ohio Invitational
7. Minnesota State Northwest Open
8. Southern Connecticut Ramapo College Indoor Select/Rhode Island Heptathlon
9. Colorado Mines Potts Indoor Invitational
10. Academy of Art Great Dane Classic/Ramapo College Indoor Select



TOP 10 DII WOMEN’S TEAMS IN ACTION
Team Meet
1. Lincoln (Mo.) Illini Classic
2. Grand Valley State Mike Lints Open
3. Adams State Adams State University Open
4. Ashland Northwest Ohio Invitational
5. Johnson C. Smith Winston-Salem State Open
7. Angelo State Texas Tech Open
8. Sioux Falls Dordt Open
9. Western State Adams State University Open
10. Academy of Art Great Dane Classic/Ramapo College Indoor Select



Division III Meet of the Week
Ramapo College Indoor Select

Saturday, Jan. 18 | 11 a.m. ET | Meet Schedule | New York City – The Armory

Three top-20 women’s teams headline the Ramapo College Indoor Select with No. 10 Wheaton (Mass.), No. 17 Rowan and No. 20 Gwynedd-Mercy, while the men’s competition is anchored by No. 15 Christopher Newport.

The nation’s top women’s 400 meters runner Ashante Little leads Wheaton’s squad, while Rowan is anchored by third-ranked women’s miler Vanessa Wright and seventh-ranked quarter-miler Brianna Crofton. Depending on the race assignments, Little and Crofton could square off against Gwynedd-Mercy sprinter Zakiyyah Richardson, ranked second in the nation at both 60 and 200 meters.

Top-ranked heptathlete Richard Roethel — also fourth in the high jump nationally — headlines the Christopher Newport men’s squad.

If the competition between these DIII schools wasn’t enough, they will get a chance to test their mettle against some of the best in Division II. Defending women’s national indoor and outdoor champion No. 10 Academy of Art leads a group of DII teams set to compete at the Armory including No. 12 New Haven and No. 18 Georgian Court — with National Athlete of the Week Tiffany Okieme.

Christopher Newport’s men will be challenged by No. 8 Southern Connecticut and No. 10 Academy of Art.

Other Division III Meets to Watch:

Illinois Wesleyan Titan Triangular
Men: #24 Greenville
Women: #9 Washington (Mo.), #19 Illinois Wesleyan

NYU Saturday Night Shootout
Men: #14 Widener, #18 Haverford



TOP 10 DIII MEN’S TEAMS IN ACTION
Team Meet
3. UW-Eau Claire Blugood Alumni Open
4. UW-Whitewater Karl Schlender Invitational
6. MIT Bowdoin Quad I
9. Bates Bates Indoor Invitational
10. Monmouth (Ill.) Sol Butler Classic



TOP 10 DIII WOMEN’S TEAMS IN ACTION
Team Meet
2. MIT Bowdoin Quad I
6. Johns Hopkins Terrapin Invitational
7. St. Thomas (Minn.) St. Thomas (Minn.) Opener
8. UW-Whitewater Karl Schlender Invitational
9. Washington (Mo.) Titan Triangular
10. Wheaton (Mass.) Ramapo College Indoor Select




U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association
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New Orleans, LA 70163

Contact: Kyle Terwillegar
Communications Assistant
kyle@ustfccca.org
(504) 599-8905