| Randal Tyson Track Center | |
|---|---|
| Location | 1380 S Beechwood Ave. Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701 |
| Opened | 2000 |
| Owner | University of Arkansas |
| Surface | Mondo Super X |
| Construction cost | approx. $7 Million |
| Capacity | 5,500 |
| Tenants | |
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University of Arkansas Track (NCAA) 2006 |
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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.
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The Randal Tyson Track Center was the vision of former head coach John McDonnell 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.[1]
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.[2]
The 106,000-square-foot (9,800 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-foot (11 m) by 20-foot (6.1 m) video scoreboard was installed in 2005. There is also a 8,500-square-foot (790 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.[2]
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.[2][3]
| Event | Name, Affiliation, Year | Mark |
|---|---|---|
| Women's 60 Meters | Veronica Campbell, Arkansas, 2003 | 7.04 (CR) |
| Women's 60 Meter Hurdles | Ginnie Powell, USC, 2005 | 7.84 (CR) |
| Men's 200 Meters | Wallace Spearmon, Jr., Arkansas, 2005 | 20.10 (AR, CR) |
| Women's 200 Meters | Bianca Knight, Texas, 2008 | 22.40 (CR) |
| Men's 400 Meters | Kerron Clement, Florida, 2005 | 44.57 (WR, CR, AR) |
| Women's 400 Meters | Natasha Hastings, 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) |