Division I Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championships

Dates and site: The championships will be March 10-11 at Arkansas.

Field: A maximum of 284 student-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 6.

2005 team champion: Arkansas.

Top team contenders: LSU, Arkansas, Texas, Florida State, Wisconsin.

Championships notes: Defending team champion Arkansas is not as deep after losing last year’s 200-meter champion, Wallace Spearmon, to pro track, but still will be tough to beat in their home facility with distance standouts Josphat Boit and Peter Kosgei leading the way ... LSU’s Kellie Willie and Xavier Carter were winners over impressive fields in the 200- and 400-meter dashes, respectively, at the recent Tyson Invitational at Arkansas, demonstrating that the Tigers are a serious threat to reclaim the team crown they won in 2004 ... Texas’ tandem of Donovan Kilmartin and Trey Hardee could lead the Longhorns to victory by dominating the heptathlon, but the team’s hopes ultimately may rest on 2004 titlist Andra Manson’s effort to regain the high jump crown from defending champ Jesse Williams of Southern California ... Florida State never has finished in the top five at the indoor championships but appears able to mount a challenge for the title. Garrett Johnson’s shot put of 66 feet, 21/2 inches, at the Tyson Invitational stands as the best in the nation this year ... Wisconsin’s strength in the distance events (Chris Solinsky is the defending 3,000-meter run champion) spur the Badgers’ hopes of collecting an indoor track crown to go with last fall’s cross country title.

Division I Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships

Dates and site: The championships will be March 10-11 at Arkansas.

Field: A maximum of 284 student-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 6.

2005 team champion: Tennessee.

Top team contenders: Texas, South Carolina, Stanford, Nebraska, LSU.

Championships notes: Texas’ Marshevet Hooker is a potential three-event winner, but even if she falls short in that bid, her presence in the 60- and 200-meter dashes and the long jump make the Longhorns tough to beat in team competition. For good measure, younger sister Destinee Hooker has posted this year’s best mark in the high jump (6 feet, 31/4 inches) ... Shalonda Solomon, who anchored South Carolina’s victory in last year’s 1,600-meter relay, leads the Gamecocks’ continuing search for a title after second-place finishes in 2000, 2001 and 2003 ... Stanford’s Erica McLain is the top returning participant from last year’s triple jump competition (she finished second), and hopes to join with the Cardinal’s corps of distance standouts to grab a first indoor team victory for her school ... Defending penthathlon champ Ashley Selig and seasoned teammates Priscilla Lopes in the hurdles and Becky Breisch in the shot put lead Nebraska ... LSU’s victory over Texas and South Carolina in the 1,600-meter relay at the recent Tyson Invitational at Arkansas fuel the Tigers’ hopes for a record 12th team championship.

Division I Wrestling Championships

Dates and site: The championships are March 16-18 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Field: The field of 330 competitors is determined through qualifying tournaments.

Qualifying date: March 5.

2005 team champion: Oklahoma State.

Top team contenders: Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Michigan, Nebraska, Central Michigan.

Championships notes: Minnesota junior heavyweight Cole Konrad is 111-13 in his career, including a 32-0 start this season ... Oklahoma State’s senior class has combined to win three consecutive NCAA championships and four individual national titles ... Michigan defeated top-ranked Minnesota, 19-15, February 17 ... Nebraska’s freshman class has won more than 40 percent (39 of 93) of the Huskers’ dual-match victories this season ... Central Michigan has captured eight consecutive Mid-America Conference titles.