Randal Tyson Track Center
Encyclopedia
The Randal Tyson Track Center is a 5,500-seat indoor track in Fayetteville, Arkansas
. It was built in 2000. It is home to the University of Arkansas
Razorbacks
track and field
teams. It was also home for one year to a the semi-pro Arkansas Stars. The facility is located behind the first base stands of Baum Stadium
, home of the Razorback baseball team. The baseball and indoor track facilities are one-half mile south of the main University of Arkansas campus, across Razorback Road (Arkansas Highway 112).
The Track Center is home to the Arkansas Razorback Track Program that has earned 42 National NCAA Track & Field Championships, although two were stripped from the University due to NCAA sanctions.
The Center has hosted several national events including the Tyson Track & Field Invitational, NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships. At the end of the indoor track season, the track is taken apart and stored in a building directly behind the center. During this time the Randal Tyson Track center can host many events such as concerts, sporting events, trade shows, etc.
and Athletics Director Frank Broyles
. McDonnell presented a gold NCAA Championship watch to Tyson Foods, Inc. CEO Don Tyson in hopes of persuading him to partially fund the project. The Tyson family donated $3 million dollars to the project. The cost of construction is estimated at around $7 million.
Designed by a Fayetteville architecture firm, the facility was opened in 2000 and dedicated on February 12 of the same year. During the first year (2000) the facility hosted the Tyson Invitational, a meet on the Golden Spike Tour (now part of the VISA Championship Series), the Southeastern Conference Championships, and the NCAA Indoor Championships. Since that time the facility has been the annual host of the Tyson Invitational and has hosted the NCAA Indoor Championships every year until 2009. Due to Arkansas's successful bid to host the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships, the Indoor Championships were awarded to Texas A&M
so that Arkansas would not host both the indoor and outdoor national championships in the same year. The University of Arkansas will host the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
. It was built in 2000. It is home to the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
Razorbacks
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
teams. It was also home for one year to a the semi-pro Arkansas Stars. The facility is located behind the first base stands of Baum Stadium
Baum Stadium
Baum Stadium is the home stadium for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team. The actual field that is played on is entitled George Cole Field, named after the former Arkansas athletic director. George Cole Field was the name of the Razorbacks' home stadium from 1975 to March 1996...
, home of the Razorback baseball team. The baseball and indoor track facilities are one-half mile south of the main University of Arkansas campus, across Razorback Road (Arkansas Highway 112).
The Track Center is home to the Arkansas Razorback Track Program that has earned 42 National NCAA Track & Field Championships, although two were stripped from the University due to NCAA sanctions.
The Center has hosted several national events including the Tyson Track & Field Invitational, NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships. At the end of the indoor track season, the track is taken apart and stored in a building directly behind the center. During this time the Randal Tyson Track center can host many events such as concerts, sporting events, trade shows, etc.
History
The Randal Tyson Track Center was the vision of former head coach John McDonnellJohn McDonnell (coach)
John McDonnell is the retired head coach for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks track team. He began as the cross country track coach for the University in 1972 and became head track coach in 1978...
and Athletics Director Frank Broyles
Frank Broyles
John Franklin Broyles is a former American football player and coach, athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach the University of Missouri in 1957 and at the University of Arkansas from 1958 to 1976...
. McDonnell presented a gold NCAA Championship watch to Tyson Foods, Inc. CEO Don Tyson in hopes of persuading him to partially fund the project. The Tyson family donated $3 million dollars to the project. The cost of construction is estimated at around $7 million.
Designed by a Fayetteville architecture firm, the facility was opened in 2000 and dedicated on February 12 of the same year. During the first year (2000) the facility hosted the Tyson Invitational, a meet on the Golden Spike Tour (now part of the VISA Championship Series), the Southeastern Conference Championships, and the NCAA Indoor Championships. Since that time the facility has been the annual host of the Tyson Invitational and has hosted the NCAA Indoor Championships every year until 2009. Due to Arkansas's successful bid to host the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships, the Indoor Championships were awarded to Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" is common at land-grant or "Ag" schools in many states. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports...
so that Arkansas would not host both the indoor and outdoor national championships in the same year. The University of Arkansas will host the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Features
The 106000 square feet (9,847.7 m²) building houses a 200-meter oval with banked turns. The track surface is Red and Grey Mondo. There is a 60-meter straight in the center of the oval. Inside the oval there are shot put areas, high jump areas, and elevated horizontal jumping and pole vault runways. A new 36 feet (11 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m) video scoreboard was installed in 2005. There is also a 8500 square feet (789.7 m²) warm up area (commonly called "The Green Room", because of the green colored Mondo surface) with restrooms for the athletes in the south wing of the venue.Top Times
The facility is considered to be one of the fastest indoor tracks in the world. Several Collegiate (CR), American (AR), and World (WR) records have been set there.| Event | Name, Affiliation, Year | Mark |
|---|---|---|
| Women's 60 Meters | Veronica Campbell Veronica Campbell Veronica Campbell-Brown C.D is a track and field sprint athlete, competing internationally for Jamaica. A five-time Olympic medallist, she is the reigning World and Olympic 200 metres champion... , Arkansas, 2003 |
7.04 (CR) |
| Women's 60 Meter Hurdles | Ginnie Powell, USC, 2005 | 7.84 (CR) |
| Men's 200 Meters | Wallace Spearmon, Jr. Wallace Spearmon Wallace Spearmon, Jr., is a sprint athlete, who specializes in the 200 meters. He is a two-time NCAA outdoor champion in the 200 m and won the silver medal in the event at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics... , Arkansas, 2005 |
20.10 (AR, CR) |
| Women's 200 Meters | Bianca Knight, Texas, 2008 | 22.40 (CR) |
| Men's 400 Meters | Kerron Clement Kerron Clement Kerron Stephon Clement is Trinidadian-born track and field athlete who represents the United States and specializes in the 400-meter hurdles... , Florida, 2005 |
44.57 (WR, CR, AR) |
| Women's 400 Meters | Natasha Hastings Natasha Hastings Natasha Monique Hastings is an American sprint athlete of Jamaican and Trinidadian descent.Hastings began her track career at a very early age and made a first place win at the USATF Junior Olympics in the 400 metres in the Youth Girls division. She attended A... , South Carolina, 2007 |
50.80 (CR) |
| Women's 800 Meters | Nicole Cook, Tennessee, 2005 | 2:00.75 (CR) |
| Men's 3000 Meters | Alistair Cragg, Arkansas, 2004 | 7:38.59 (CR) |
| Women's 5000 Meters | Kim Smith, Providence, 2004 | 15:14.18 (CR) |
| Men's Distance Medley Relay | Texas, 2008 | 9:25.97 (WR, CR, AR) |
| Men's 4x400 Relay | USA (Clement, Spearmon, WIlliamson, Wariner), 2006 | 3:01.96 (Non-ratified WR) |
| Women's 4x400 Relay | Texas, 2003 | 3:27.66 (CR) |