INDIANAPOLIS – A host of USATF’s Indoor Visa Championship Series for
the past 10 years, Fayetteville, Arkansas, will host the USA Track &
Field Classic February 11 as part of the nationally televised series,
USA Track & Field announced Tuesday.

The USATF Classic will be held in conjunction with the 2012 Tyson
Invitational, one of the nation’s premier collegiate meets, on the
campus of the University of Arkansas. The USATF Classic will be
televised from 12-2 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, February 12.

The meet joins USATF’s 2012 Indoor Visa Championship Series that also includes the U.S. Open January 28 in New York City; the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix February 4 in Boston; and the 2012 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships Feb. 25-26 in Albuquerque, N.M.

Rejoining the field
Fayetteville hosted the Visa Championship Series from 2000-2009. In
2012 it re-enters the series thanks to a 10-event professional lineup
that will feature some of the strongest fields of the indoor season.

“When we saw the fields that the University of Arkansas and Nike had
put together, it was obvious that this meet would be a highlight of the
indoor season,” said USATF CEO Mike McNees. “USATF’s Athletes Advisory
Committee (AAC) also pledged their support as part of their continued
effort to help increase competitive opportunities for U.S. athletes.
Thanks to this collective effort between the University, Nike, USATF and
the AAC, we are able to bring this meet back into the national
spotlight.”

On tap for the USATF Classic is an American record attempt in the men’s
2 mile; a women’s shot put and women’s long jump that combined include
three medalists and an American record holder; a men’s mile field with
at least three sub-3:50 milers; some of the world’s best women’s
hurdlers and sprinters; and Olympic and world medalists in the men’s
sprints and shot put. Scheduled events are the women’s 60m, 60m hurdles,
1,500m, long jump and shot put; and the men’s 60m, 400m, mile, 2 mile
and shot put.

Stars align
Among the athletes currently slated to compete are Galen Rupp in the men’s 2 mile, world champion Kirani James in the men’s 400m, American record holder and World Outdoor bronze medalist Jillian Camarena-Williams and USA Outdoor champion Michelle Carter in the women’s shot put; world champion Brittney Reese, Olympic medalist Hyleas Fountain, Marshevet Hooker and Funmi Jimoh in the women’s long jump; Shawn Crawford, Richard Thompson and Churandy Martina in the men’s 60m; and Silas Kiplagat and Leo Manzano in the men’s mile. Full fields and more stars will be announced soon.

“The University of Arkansas is proud to welcome back some of the
world’s best track athletes to one of the world’s fastest tracks,” said
UA Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long. “We have had a
great partnership with Nike and USA Track & Field, and we are
looking forward to a fantastic meet on February 11 at the Randal Tyson
Center.”

The meet also will include some of the most outstanding collegiate
competition of the indoor season, featuring 16 teams ranked inside the
USTFCCCA Top 25 preseason poll, including the Arkansas men and women,
Central Florida women, Clemson women, Iowa men, Kansas State men, LSU
men and women, Nebraska men and women, North Carolina State men,
Oklahoma men and women, Ole Miss men, Texas Tech women and Wisconsin
men.

For more information on the Visa Championship Series, visit www.visachampionshipseries.com