Professional track returns to UA with American Track League
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The first installment of four consecutive American Track League meets will start on Sunday in the Randal Tyson Track Center with a live broadcast on ESPN from 2-4 p.m. (CT).
As part of the World Athletics Silver Tour, the American Track League offers an opportunity for professional athletes to return to competition in preparation for an Olympic year. Each of the American Track League meets, organized by Doyle Sports Management and hosted by Arkansas, will have a two-hour broadcast on ESPN/ESPN2 to showcase performances.
A selection of 2019 World Championships and 2016 Olympic Games medalist are featured in Sunday’s competition among the following events:
| Men | 60 meters | 400 meters | 60m Hurdles | Shot Put | |||
| Women | 60 meters | 300 meters | 400 meters | 60m Hurdles | Pole Vault | High Jump |
Olympic shot put gold medalist and Olympic Games record holder Ryan Crouser continues to get closer to the world record with his indoor best less than three inches away. Crouser, in this second year as an Arkansas volunteer assistant, has an indoor career best of 74-1 ¾ (22.60) which ranks second on the all-time world indoor list.
The world indoor shot put record of 74-4 ¼ (22.66) was set in 1989 by Randy Barnes in Los Angeles.
Omar McLeod, an Arkansas alum and 2016 Olympic gold medalist in the 110m hurdles, returns to Fayetteville to race in the 60 meters. Joining him in the same 60m prelim heat is Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse, who has collected three Olympic medals and four World Championship medals between the 100m, 200m and 4×100 relay.
Razorback alums Payton Chadwick and Taliyah Brooks both race in the 60m hurdles along with Tiffany Porter, a World Indoor silver medalist, and Ashley Spencer, an Olympic bronze medalist in the 400m hurdles.
Brooks will also contest the high jump where the featured athlete is Vashti Cunningham, who has collected gold, silver and bronze in previous World Championship competitions.
Ariel Lieghio, known as Voskamp while competing for the Razorbacks, is one of eight entrants in the pole vault along with Megan Clark, who trains with Sandi Morris at Arkansas. Also entered is two-time world finalist Katie Nageotte, who has produced a career best of 16-1 ¾ (4.92) in 2020 and has an indoor best of 16-1 ¼ (4.91) from 2018.
The women’s 400m includes Razorback alum Sparkle McKnight along with Shamier Little, a World silver medalist in the 400m hurdles, who is based in Fayetteville. The race features Wadeline Jonathas, a 2019 NCAA 400m champion for South Carolina who finished fourth in the 2019 World Championships.
Current Razorbacks competing, who have outdoor eligibility remaining with Arkansas, include Tyler Brendel (60m hurdles, shot put), Nicholas Hilson (400m) and Travean Caldwell (400m).
2019 World Champion Grant Holloway headlines the men’s 60m hurdles. The former Florida Gator, who claimed three NCAA 60m hurdle titles and a trio of NCAA 110m hurdle titles, set an American record of 7.35 seconds in the 60m hurdles in 2019.
The men’s 400m will have a pair of NCAA champions in Fred Kerley, who claimed World Championship bronze in 2019, along with Quincy Hall, a NCAA champion in the 400m hurdles while at South Carolina.