Fayetteville native and former Razorback four-time NCAA champion Wallace Spearmon Jr. stayed home to set a world indoor record in the 300-meter dash Friday night at the Tyson Invitational meet at the Randal Tyson Center.

Spearmon’s 31.88 in an all-star field including fellow World Championship meet runners Kerron Clement and LaShawn Merrit broke the world record 32.19 set by Brazil’s Robson Da Silva in 1989.

Clement, 31.94 and Merritt, 31.94, also broke the old record.

Friday’s victory not only earned Spearmon, now running professionally for Nike, a world record but a $25,000 bonus check from meet sponsor Tyson Foods that announced pre-meet it would pay $25,000 to a world-record setter. "My coach [Razorback sprint coach Lance Brauman] told me to go out strong," Spearmon said, "and hold them off in the backstretch and come on. I did and I am hurting right now, like I’m about to pass out. My name is in the book and hopefully I can come back strong and make it in the books again."

Asked about the $25,000, Spearmon said, "I’ll have to talk to Mom and see if I can spend any of it, but most likely no."

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Until Spearmon, the best Arkansas alum performance Friday night was former Lady Razorback sprinter Veronica Campbell.

Campbell, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, clocked 7.04 in the women’s 60-meter dash, a personal record for her and the best in the world by any woman in 2006. "I’m totally happy," Campbell, running professionally, said. "It’s the fastest I’ve ever run. I felt confident. My training has been going pretty good."

Brauman, who still trains Campbell, whom he coached in junior college, and Spearmon, said, "It feels like I hit the Lotto tonight."

In a photo finish, former South Carolina great and Olympic hurdles silver medalist Terrence Trammell edged former Razorback Tyson Gay, now running for adidas, by. 004 in the 60-meter dash.

Trammell was clocked 6.555 and Gay in 6.559. "Another great perfornance!" said Brauman, who still trains Gay.

Trammell and Gay recorded the world’s second and third fastest 60-meter dash times so far this indoor season.

For John McDonnell’s Razorbacks regarding qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, Friday was automatically good for distance runners Josphat Boit, Peter Kosgei and Shawn Forrest but not so hot for senior miler Said Ahmed who ran a provisional qualifying time when McDonnell expected an automatic.

In Friday night’s opening event, 5,000 meter runners Boit, Kosgei and Forrest became the first three Razorbacks automatically to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships Arkansas hosts March 10-11 here.

Placing second, fifth and sixth, Boit, 13:40.63, Kosgei, 13:46.88 and Forrest, 13:47.72 all broke the 13:50 automatic standard as did winner Richard Kiplagat, Iona, 13:39.87, third-place Nicodemus Naimadu of Abilene Christian, 13:42.29; Indiana’s Stephen Haas, fourth, 13:44.09 and former Razorback Fernando Cabada, 13:49.87 and now transferred to Virginia Intermont.

University of Arkansas graduate Jason Sandfort rabbitted the race which jump-started the Razorbacks who had been "just average," Razorback coach John McDonnell said in previous 2006 meets.

Boit and Kosgei were indoor All-Americans last year and are provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor 3,000. "Josphat is a senior and stepped up," McDonnell said. "Everybody did a good job. Our first three automatics. It was important for Forrest because while he’s run good cross country here, he’d kind of fallen off on the track. Now he’s got that automatic qualifier under his belt and should go on to bigger and better things."

He had expected better things from Ahmed, a four-time All-American and three-time SEC champion who seemed ready for an automatic qualifier in the mile before fading to fifth in 4:02.25. "Awww," McDonnell grimaced. "One lap to go he had it and he blew up."

Ahmed’s personal mile best is 3:57.04.

The mile winner, former Stanford star Jason Lunn, may have psyched the field with a huge kick the final 400 meters for a best in the world for 2006 3:55.87 with fellow professional David Freeman second, 3:59.61 and current Stanford runner Russell Brown third, 3:59.65.

Three Razorback long jumpers, Jaanus Uudmae, Bentonville’s Myhchael Stewart and Greg Martin and a Razorback halfmiler Brian Roe and Lady Razorback pole vaulter Stephanie Irwin met provisional NCAA Indoor meet qualifying standards Friday afternoon.

Though a secondary event for senior Razorback All-American triple jumper Jaanus Uudmae, Uudmae should be long jumping, too at the NCAA Indoor Championships after his personal best 25-2 leap Friday.

Irwin cleared a personal best 13-4 1-4 and was fifth in Friday’s women’s vault won by Florida State’s Lacy Janson, 14-4 with former Lady Razorback April Steiner, now competing for adidas, second at 13-10.

Action at the Tyson Invitational continues today from noon until 6 p.m.