Hoosiers head down to Arkansas

After a more than friendly home stretch and a strong start to the season, the IU women's track team is set to compete in a daunting meet this weekend that should measure its true progress. \nThe Hoosiers will compete in the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., Feb. 11 and 12. In its first road meet of the season, this invitational puts IU up against 26 other teams from all over the nation.\nEarly season highlights for the women's track team include 16 first-place finishers Jan. 14 during the Hoosier Classic and 17 personal-best marks at the Indiana Open on Jan. 28. \nThere will be several Hoosier athletes garnering extra attention at the Tyson Invitational. Junior sprinter Stacy Clausing, who is ranked No. 14 nationally in the 400-meter dash, is coming off a second-place finish in the Hoosier Relay. Junior hurdler Courtney Johnson qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 60-meter hurdles during the indoor season and will look to repeat the same success during the outdoor season. Also, senior Jean Schaffer has notched top finishes this season in high jump. \nHowever, the women's track team will be without the services of two of their stronger distance runners. \n"We are going to Arkansas with everyone except Jessica Gall and Lindsay Hattendorf," assistant coach and distance coach Judy Wilson said. \nGall and Hattendorf will instead be competing in the Husky Classic at the University of Washington in Seattle, said Wilson. She explained that the 5-kilometer race the team will be competing in is a more "loaded race" than in Arkansas. \n"We are trying to put them in a situation more like the one at nationals," Wilson said.\nAs for the rest of the Hoosiers who will be at the Tyson Invitational, this meet helps them get ready for the Big Ten Championships that will take place in Madison, Wis., Feb. 25 and 26.