SFA T&F Athletes to Compete in Arkansas Open
2/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
Arkansas Open Schedule
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin track and field program will be represented by six athletes at the Arkansas Open in Fayetteville on Saturday afternoon as the Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks look to improve on already top-level national marks. The meet, held in the Randal Tyson Track Complex on the campus of the University of Arkansas, is the location of the 2015 NCAA Track and Field Championships held March 13-14.
All eyes will be on the women’s pole vault competition starting at 3:00 p.m. as Demi Payne takes to the runway in the most anticipated rematch of the 2015 indoor season. The NCAA record holder in the event will go head-to-head with Arkansas’ Sandi Morris – the NCAA’s number two women’s vaulter – with Payne leading 1-0 in the all-time duel.
Morris held the collegiate record for less than 24 hours earlier in the year before Payne leaped her way into the record books with a 15-2.25 (4.63m) jump on Jan. 17 at Texas A&M. Since claiming the top mark in the nation, Payne has soared past her own record two more times this season with both clearances coming at the New Mexico Collegiate Open on Jan. 24.
Payne’s record currently rests at 15-7 (4.75m) but the New Braunfels native as shown that height may not be safe for long. She attacked 15-7.25 (4.76m) on three attempts in Houston on Jan. 30 and then again on Feb. 8 in Albuquerque. Overall, Payne holds five of the top six jumps in collegiate history.
Payne and Morris met for the first time at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic on Feb. 8. Payne holds the edge after round one of the rivalry, surpassing 15-3.50 (4.66m) to win the pole vault showdown inside the Albuquerque Convention Center. The duo will highlight a list of eight women in Saturday’s field.
Joining Payne on the trip to Arkansas will be a handful of athletes coming off great performances at the 2015 Southland Conference Indoor Championships earlier in the week. Cass Brown-Stewart, who won the 400-meter dash with a meet record on Tuesday, will compete in the men’s 400m starting at 2:05 p.m. and will also run a leg for SFA in the 4x400 meter relay. His top mark of 46.49 seconds this season puts him 13th in the country in the 400m.
The Lumberjacks earned the top spot in the 4x400 on Tuesday with a time of 3:10.86 – also an SLC meet record. Brown-Stewart, Kerry Gleason, My'Lik Kerley and Joshua Taylor will attempt to improve on the relay team’s national standing with just a few short weeks until the NCAA Indoor Championships. The gun will sound at approximately 3:10 p.m.
Senior Cameron Meyer, who completed the men/women pole vault sweep with Payne at the SLC Championships on Monday, will also look to carry momentum into Fayetteville. Meyer currently holds the 19th best jump in the NCAA this year with a 17-6.5 (5.35m) vault on Jan. 10 at the Akron Pole Vault Convention. The men’s vaulters will take flight starting at 2:00 p.m.
All of Saturday’s events will be broadcast on the SECNetwork+ with live results also available via FlashResults.com.
-SFA-
*Graphic courtesy of USTFCCCA
