Arkansas women relish track perch

Arkansas coach Lance Harter, center, holds the trophy as his team celebrates after winning the women's title at the NCAA indoor track and field championships Saturday, March 14, 2015, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas' women's track and field team will start this indoor season in the same place it ended last year's season.

At the top.

ARKANSAS TRACK AND FIELD INVITATIONAL

WHEN Today. Field events begin at 2 p.m., running events at 4 p.m.

WHERE Randal Tyson Track Center

Arkansas is ranked No. 1 after winning the NCAA Indoor championship last season, the first women's national title for the UA in any sport.

The women and No. 10-ranked men's team open today in the Arkansas Invitational at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

Field events begin at 2 p.m. and running events at 4 p.m. Other teams competing are Texas Tech, Missouri State, Oral Roberts and Tulsa.

Arkansas women's Coach Lance Harter said he likes having his team ranked No. 1.

"That's a nice sign of respect that my peers think that highly of our team, but the proof is going to come in the next few weeks to see how we match up," Harter said. "We're definitely going to have to count on some newcomers to help us compete not only at the national level but in the SEC."

The Razorbacks most heralded newcomers competing tonight are freshman twins Lexi and Tori Weeks, who both set national high school pole vault records last year at Cabot. Lexi Weeks cleared 14-7 ½ outdoors and Tori Weeks cleared 14-4 indoors.

Returning vaulters for the Razorbacks include senior All-American Ariel Voskamp, who is also from Cabot, along with sophomore All-American Desiree Freier and senior Megan Zimlich.

Freier isn't competing today as she recovers from ankle surgery in December to remove a bone chip. She might redshirt.

Another newcomer for Arkansas is Payton Stumbaugh, a sophomore from Springdale Har-Ber who transferred from Oklahoma. She'll run the 200 meters and 60-meter hurdles.

Senior All-American sprinter Taylor Ellis-Watson leads the Arkansas returnees today when she'll run the 200.

Senior Jarrion Lawson is the Arkansas men's team headliner. The 2014 NCAA Indoor long jump champion, Lawson will run the 60 meters and a leg on the 1,600-meter relay team today.

Lawson finished third in the 100 meters and the long jump at the NCAA Outdoors last year, when he also ran on the winning 400-meter relay team and sixth-place 1,600 relay team.

"The 60-meter dash is a new event for Jarrion, it's an adjustment, so that's why he's starting on it," Arkansas men's Coach Chris Bucknam said. "He just kind of burst onto the scene last year in the 100, and while it remains to be seen how the 60 will play out for him, we definitely believe he'll be in that elite status in the 60."

Bucknam said the focus of tonight's meet is to get the Razorbacks in a competitive meet.

"It's about getting the ball rolling with the season," he said. "With it being our first meet, I don't think we can expect a lot of national qualifying marks or anything like that. That'll become a priority at the end of the month."

Sports on 01/15/2016