Division I Men's Indoor Track

Championships

Dates and site: The championships will be March 12-13 at Arkansas.

Field: A total of 270 athletes will compete in the championships. Athletes qualify by reaching the automatic and provisional standards established for each event.

Selection date: The spots remaining in the field after the automatic qualifiers are entered will be filled from the descending-order list of provisional qualifiers March 8.

2003 team champion: Arkansas.

Top team contenders: Arkansas, LSU, Florida, Auburn, Stanford.

Championships notes: Arkansas is hosting the meet for the fifth straight year and appears set to repeat as champion. Tyson Gay (who redshirted in 2003 after transferring from the junior college ranks) is a favorite in the 60- and 200-meter dashes, and Alistair Cragg again looks strong in the distance events after setting a collegiate record of 7:38.59 in the 3,000 meters on his home track February 14 ... As has been the case for the past couple of years, the Razorbacks' primary challengers come from the Southeastern Conference. LSU may gain significant points in field events, while Florida should score in a variety of events and Auburn's Leevan Sands is looking for titles in the long and triple jumps.

Division I Women's Indoor Track

Championships

Dates and site: The championships will be March 12-13 at Arkansas.

Field: A total of 270 athletes will compete in the championships. Athletes qualify by reaching the automatic and provisional standards established for each event.

Selection date: The spots remaining in the field after the automatic qualifiers are entered will be filled from the descending-order list of provisional qualifiers March 8.

2003 team champion: LSU.

Top team contenders: LSU, Texas, Florida, Nebraska.

Championships notes: Texas steadily has gained on LSU in performance rankings through the season, led by sprinter Sanya Richards and hurdlers Nichole Denby and Raasin McIntosh ... Still, beating two-time defending champion LSU will be a tall order for any team. The Tigers return with Muna Lee, who won the 60- and 200-meter dashes last year ... Florida may be throwing some weight around -- literally -- as it pursues its first team title since 1992. The Gators' Candice Scott broke her own collegiate record in the weight throw at the Husker Invitational February 7 and teammates had posted the next two best automatic-qualifying marks in the event through mid-February, while Kim Barrett was among shot put leaders in Division I.