Randal Tyson Track Center

Last updated
Randal Tyson Track Center
The World's Fastest Track
Randall Tyson UArk.png
Randall Tyson
Randal Tyson Track Center
Location1380 S Beechwood Ave. Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
Coordinates 36°02′59″N94°11′04″W / 36.04972°N 94.18444°W / 36.04972; -94.18444
OwnerUniversity of Arkansas
Capacity 5,500
SurfaceMondo Super X
Construction
Opened2000
Construction costapprox. $7 Million
Tenants
University of Arkansas Track (NCAA) (2000–present)
Arkansas Stars (NIFL) (2006)

The Randal Tyson Track Center is a 5,500-seat indoor track in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Built in 2000, it is home to the University of Arkansas Razorbacks track and field teams. It was also home for one year to 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).

Contents

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.

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 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 USATF Golden Spike Tour (now 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 been the host 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 resumed hosting in 2010 and was the event site in 2011, 2013 and 2015. [2]

Features

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 Super X. 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. In 2009, the Green Room was modified to become a weight room for the track and field programs. [2]

The track itself has a unique history as it is the same one used in the 1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Toronto, Canada. Following the end of the international event, the track was disassembled and then stored until the Arkansas athletic department purchased the track and brought it to Fayetteville in 1999. More than 20 years after it was first constructed it is still widely regarded as the fastest indoor track ever built. [3]


Recent renovations

During the first decade of operation, the track is taken apart and stored in a building directly behind the center at the end of the collegiate indoor track season. During that time the Tyson Center played host to concerts, sporting events and trade shows. Yearly, engineers from Mondo would work with University personnel to reassemble and maintenance the track. In 2011 the track was resurfaced—it remains Mondo Super X, which was the original material used for the 1993 World Championships and the original surface used when the track was installed at the University of Arkansas. During the resurfacing process, the University worked closely with Mondo to insure the integrity and performance of the track lived up to its reputation as one of fastest indoor tracks ever built. The decision was made at that time to make the track a semi-permanent fixture (being able to be removed if necessary, but otherwise remaining in place year around), making maintenance easier, preserving the integrity of the competition surface and allowing athletes year around access to train. The University of Arkansas' assistant AD of facilities said at the time, "The track's reputation as one of the fastest indoor tracks in the world was at the forefront of our decision to revitalize it instead of installing a new one. But we needed to ensure that any improvements we made kept the track's integrity intact. The track has such a history and such a strong reputation that we felt like it was in the best interest of NCAA track and field and Arkansas track and field." [3]

In 2014, construction of the 52,000 sq ft Fowler Family Baseball and Track Training Center was completed. The facility provides a climate-controlled practice space, an expansive check in and warm up area for track meets and will allow all indoor meet throwing events to be held on site, as they were previously held across campus at the Walker Pavilion (Arkansas' indoor football field). The Tyson Center front lobby was renovated to add a display area for Arkansas' Track and Field NCAA trophies and updated ticket offices. [4]



Top times

The Tyson Center is widely considered one of the premiere track and field facilities in the United States. Several Collegiate (CR), American (AR), American Jr. (AJR), World Jr. (WJR) and World (WR) records have been set there. [2] [5]

[6]

EventName, Affiliation, YearMark
Women's 60 Meters Bianca Knight, Texas, 20087.16 (AJR)
Men's 60 Meter Hurdles Omar McLeod, Arkansas, 20157.45 (CR)
Women's 60 Meter Hurdles Dior Hall, South Carolina, 20158.01 (WJR)
Men's 200 Meters Wallace Spearmon, Jr., Arkansas, 2005

Walter Dix, Florida State, 2005

20.10 (AR, CR)

20.37 (WJR, AJR)

Women's 200 Meters Bianca Knight, Texas, 200822.40 (CR, WJR, AJR)
Men's 300 Meters Wallace Spearmon, Jr., Nike, 200631.88 (Non-altitude WR, AR)
Men's 400 Meters Kerron Clement, Florida, 2005

Kirani James, Alabama, 2011

LaShawn Merritt, East Carolina, 2005

44.57 (WR, CR, AR)

44.80 (WJR)

44.93 (AJR)

Women's 400 Meters Francena McCorory, Hampton, 2010

Sanya Richards-Ross, Texas, 2004

50.54 (CR)

50.82 (AJR, WJR)

Women's 800 Meters Nicole Cook, Tennessee, 2005

Meskerem Legesse, Oregon, 2004

2:00.75 (CR)

2:01.03 (WJR)

Men's 1500 Meters Bernard Lagat, Nike, 20053:33.34 (AR)
Men's Mile Bernard Lagat, Nike, 20053:49.89 (AR)
Men's 3000 Meters Alistair Cragg, Arkansas, 20047:38.59 (CR)
Women's 3000 MetersElise Cranny, Stanford, 20158:58.88 (AJR)
Men's 5000 Meters Galen Rupp, Oregon, 200913:18.12 (AR, CR)
Women's 5000 Meters Kim Smith, Providence, 200415:14.18 (CR)
Men's Distance Medley Relay Texas, 20089:25.97 (WR, CR, AR)
Men's 4x400 Relay USA (Clement, Spearmon, Williamson, Wariner), 2006

Texas A&M, 2005

Texas A&M, 2017

3:01.96 (Non-ratified WR)

3:02.86 (CR)

3:02.52 (pending ratification)

Women's 4x400 RelayTexas, 20033:27.66 (CR)
Men's Pole Vault Shawn Barber, Akron, 20155.91m (CR)
Women's Pole VaultNatalie Willer, Nebraska, 20094.35m (AJR)
Women's Long Jump Elva Goulbourne, Auburn, 20026.91m (CR)
Men's Shot Put Ryan Whiting, Arizona State, 200821.73m (CR)
Women's Shot Put Jill Camerena-Williams, NYAC, 2012

Raven Saunders, So. Illinois, 2015

20.21m (AR)

18.62m (AJR)

Men's Heptathlon Ashton Eaton, Oregon, 2010

Gunnar Nixon, Arkansas, 2012

6499 points (CR)

6022 points (WJR, AJR)

*Both the Men's and Women's Collegiate Weight Throw records (Walter Henning, 22.02 (2008, also the AJR) and Brittney Riley, 25.56m, 2007) were set in Fayetteville, however, the records occurred at Walker Pavilion across campus, not at the Randal Tyson Center.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fayetteville, Arkansas</span> City in Arkansas, United States

Fayetteville is the second-most populous city in Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, and the most populous city in Northwest Arkansas. The city is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, deep within the Ozarks. Known as Washington until 1829, the city was named after Fayetteville, Tennessee, from which many of the settlers had come. It was incorporated on November 3, 1836, and was rechartered in 1867. Fayetteville is included in the three-county Northwest Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is ranked 100th in terms of population in the United States with 576,403 in 2022 according to the United States Census Bureau. The city had a population of 99,285 in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Arkansas</span> Public university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, US

The University of Arkansas is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System. Founded as Arkansas Industrial University in 1871, classes were first held in 1872, with its present name adopted in 1899.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas Razorbacks</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Arkansas

The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas student body voted to change the name of the school mascot in 1910 to the Arkansas Razorbacks after a hard-fought battle against LSU in which they were said to play like a "wild band of Razorback hogs" by former coach Hugo Bezdek. The Arkansas Razorbacks are the only major sports team in the U.S. with a porcine nickname, though the Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas play in Division II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baum–Walker Stadium</span> Baseball park at University of Arkansas

Baum–Walker Stadium at George Cole Field is the home venue of the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team of the NCAA Division I Southeastern Conference, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. The playing field itself is named George Cole Field, in honor of the former Arkansas athletic director. George Cole Field was also the name of the Razorbacks' old home stadium, in use from 1975 to March 1996. Baum Stadium replaced George Cole Field in April 1996. The stadium is located one-half mile from the main Arkansas campus, which lies across Razorback Road from the stadium. On January 31, 2019 the stadium was renamed Baum–Walker Stadium at George Cole Field in recognition of longtime support from the Walker Family and the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation.

Erick Walder is an American former long jumper. He was a silver medalist at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics and twice bronze medallist at the IAAF World Indoor Championships. He also took two silver medals at the Goodwill Games.

John McDonnell Field is the outdoor track facility at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and is home to the Arkansas Razorbacks. The field is named after former head coach John McDonnell, who ended his thirty-six-year collegiate head coaching career as the most successful coach in NCAA track history, attaining a total of 42 NCAA Championships in three different sports with the Razorbacks. Renovated in 2006, it is one of only ten International Association of Athletics Federations Class 1 certified tracks in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makeba Alcide</span> Saint Lucian athlete

Makeba Alcide is a Saint Lucian track and field athlete. She holds the Saint Lucia records and OECS records for women's 60m Hurdles, Pentathlon and Heptathlon, and the Saint Lucia record for 100m Hurdles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jarrion Lawson</span> American sprinter and long jumper

Jarrion Lawson is an American sprinter and long jumper. He placed third in the men's long jump at the 2012 World Junior Championships. Competing for the Arkansas Razorbacks, he won five individual NCAA championship titles and one relay title between 2014 and 2016; he won three events at the 2016 NCAA outdoor championships, a triple previously accomplished only by Jesse Owens.

The 2007 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships was the 43rd NCAA Men's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships and the 26th NCAA Women's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, held at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas near the campus of the host school, the University of Arkansas. In total, thirty-two different men's and women's indoor track and field events were contested from March 9 to March 10, 2007.

The 2008 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships was the 43rd NCAA Men's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships and the 26th NCAA Women's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, held at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas near the campus of the host school, the University of Arkansas. In total, thirty-two different men's and women's indoor track and field events were contested from March 14 to March 15, 2008.

Taylor Werner is an American middle- and long-distance runner. Representing the University of Arkansas, her team won the 2019 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. Werner is the Pan American U20 Championships 3000 m champion.

The 2021 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships were the 56th NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships and the 39th NCAA Division I Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships, held at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas near the campus of the host school, the University of Arkansas. In total, thirty-four different men's and women's indoor track and field events were contested from March 11 to March 13, 2021.

The 2000 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships were contested to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's NCAA collegiate indoor track and field events in the United States after the 1999–2000 season, the 36th annual meet for men and 18th annual meet for women.

The 2001 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships were contested to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's NCAA collegiate indoor track and field events in the United States after the 2000–01 season, the 37th annual meet for men and 19th annual meet for women.

The 2002 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships were contested to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's NCAA collegiate indoor track and field events in the United States after the 2001–02 season, the 38th annual meet for men and 20th annual meet for women.

The 2003 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships were contested to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's NCAA collegiate indoor track and field events in the United States after the 2002–03 season, the 39th annual meet for men and 21st annual meet for women.

The 2004 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships were contested to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's NCAA collegiate indoor track and field events in the United States after the 2003–04 season, the 40th annual meet for men and 22nd annual meet for women.

The 2005 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships were contested to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's NCAA collegiate indoor track and field events in the United States after the 2004–05 season, the 41st annual meet for men and 23rd annual meet for women.

The 2006 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships were contested to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's NCAA collegiate indoor track and field events in the United States after the 2004–05 season, the 42nd annual meet for men and 24th annual meet for women.

Britton Wilson is an American track and field athlete specializing in the 400 meters hurdles and 400 meters. She finished fifth in the 400 m hurdles at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, her major championship debut. Wilson is the North American indoor record holder for the 400 m dash with a time of 49.48 seconds, set on March 11, 2023, in Albuquerque.

References

  1. ↑ "Randal Tyson Track Center, 1380 S Beechwood Ave, Fayetteville, AR". www.stadiumlist.com. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
  2. 1 2 3 Taylor, McGillis (2015-05-17). "Randal Tyson Track Center". Arkansas Razorbacks. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
  3. 1 2 "Newly Refurbished Mondo Track at University of Arkansas Ready to Uphold Title as World's Fastest". msnbc.com. 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
  4. ↑ Taylor, McGillis (2015-05-16). "Fowler Family Baseball & Track Training Center". Arkansas Razorbacks. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
  5. ↑ "USATF - News".
  6. ↑ "Records". www.trackandfieldnews.com. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.