Arkansas' Randal Tyson Track Will Be Buzzing All Day With Massive High School Club Meet

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Bert Richardson photo

Saturday's Arkansas High School Indoor Invitational will serve athletes from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas Missouri, Louisiana and beyond with a chance to compete on the track at the Randal Tyson Track Complex at the University of Arkansas. 

In some states where the outdoor season is only a little more than a month away, the opportunity to compete this weekend is a warm-up and a fitness test to show the results of winter training. 

It's also a massive meet, that will start with 48 heats of the boys 400 meters at 8 a.m. Central time and last until the final 4x400 relays are run, past 10 p.m. 

Standing out among the multitude are a handful of elite national-caliber performers. 

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Skylynn Townsend of the North Texas Jackrabbits, the Texas UIL 6A state champion in the long jump and triple jump for Rock Hill High, has signed with Georgia. 

Townsend is in line to become the top horizontal jumper in the country this year, with PRs of 20-8.50 in the long jump and 42-3.50 in the triple jump. 

She is entered this weekend in the long jump, where she currently sits US#2, and also the 60-meter dash. 

Jelani Watkins of the Jacobs Sports Academy is a four-star football recruit who has signed with LSU. Watkins transferred to Atascocita High but competed for Klein Forest last spring when he won the Texas 6A title in the 200 meters (20.54). 

Watkins won the Arkansas HS Invitational 200 meters last year and is back to defend his title. He'll also try to win the 60 dash. His is already US#3 in the 60 with 6.75 seconds at the Jan. 6 LSU Indoor HS Classic. 

A strong field in the girls 3,000 meters includes Addison Dorenkamp from Xlr8 Iowa Track Club, who placed 17th at last month's Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. 

Dorenkamp will travel south from Iowa to face Haley Loewe (Bentonville), the Chile Pepper and Arkansas 6A state cross country champion, Natalie Duggan (Edmond Santa Fe), the Oklahoma 6A runner-up in cross country; and Sara Morefield of Lovejoy Track Club, the Texas 5A third-place finisher. 

Payton Meineke of Riverdale Ridge CO, a national cross country finalist at both Nike Cross Nationals and Foot Locker, is entered in the mile and the 800.

The top seed in the girls 800, Kailey Littlefield from Lovejoy Track Club, was the Texas 5A state champion last spring (2:07.70) and went on to take fifth at New Balance Nationals Outdoor.

Madeleine Fey of Midlothian TX, already the meet recod holder in the girls shot put, is back to defend her title. Fey was the Nike Outdoor Nationals champion in the discus and second in the shot put. She has signed with Kansas. 

Junior Colston Adamson of Lovejoy Track Club is the top seed in both the boys long jump and triple jump. 

Lily Muzzy of Xtreme Force Track (Georgetown TX) is US#2 in the triple jump and will contest that event plus the long jump.

Christian James, competing for AMAX out of Texas, is the top seed in the boys 400 meters. However, Keayari Thompson from Georgia's TakeOff is US#2 at 47.72.

Brooke Freeman (Frisco Heritage TX) is the top seed in the girls 400 meters. 

River Hardman of Russellville AR, a state champion in the 800 and a 1:51 runner, is stepping up to challenge the mile and 3,000 meters. In the mile, he'll face Tommy Hensley from Xlr8 from Iowa and James American Horse from Bentonville AR.

Malik White of San Antonio Swift (Northside Taft TX) is US#8 in the boys 60-meter hurdles. 

Skyye Lee of St. Louis Blues Track Club (Parkway Central MO), the Missouri Class 4 champion in the 100, 200, 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles, is the meet's top entry in the girls 60-meter hurdles and is also running in the 60 dash. 

Nita Koom-Dadzie of Humble Kingwood TX is among a handful of contenders in the girls 60 meters. She has a best this season of 7.43 seconds. 

Nasya Williams from North Texas Jackrabbits (DeSoto) is the top entrant in the girls 200 meters. She was second in the Texas 6A finals last year. 

Jonah Kirspel of 9:24 Athletics (South Walton FL), the Florida 2A champion in the 800 meters, is the top entry that event. He owns an outdoor best of 1:50.55.

Abby Elmore from Texas Ultimate Athletics (Gunter) tops the girls high jump field. She jumped 5-10 last spring to place second in the Texas 3A final. 

In the girls pole vault, Aspen Fears of Vista Murrieta, the CIF Southern Section Masters champion last year when she made 13-4, is the top seed.  

Momentum Throws club teammates Evan Martinez and Easton Hatleberg are at the top of the entry list in the boys shot put. Martinez (Arlington Lamar) was a Texas 6A finalist in the discus last year.