Randal Tyson Track Center

Randal Tyson Track Center
One of the newest facilities on the University of Arkansas campus is the Randal Tyson Track Center , which was dedicated on February 12, 2000. The new facility was the vision of UA head track coach John McDonnell and Athletic Director Frank Broyles and continues the tradition of building some of the finest facilities in the nation at Arkansas .

In its first year of operation, the $6.5 million facility hosted the Tyson Invitational, was a stop on the Golden Spike Tour and hosted the 2000 Southeastern Conference Championships and the 2000 NCAA Indoor National Championships. The Randal Tyson Center is set to serve as the host for the NCAA Indoor Championships through the year 2005.

The track itself is a 200-meter, 60-degree banked track that has 55m straightaways running the entire length of the facility. It also includes men’s and women’s jumping runways and pits. The surface of the track is red and gray Mondo.

With all of the big name events that are held in the facility, the Tyson Track Center was built to handle the demands for the many media outlets. The press box is two-tiered offering 50 seats and has an announcer’s booth, timing and scoring area and a camera position that can be used as a television announcer’s booth. There are four elevated camera positions located around the track. A media room is also available in the north concourse.


John McDonnell Field
John McDonnell FieldHome to the most successful program in NCAA history, John McDonnell Field has been transformed into one of the top outdoor track and field facilities in the nation. Named for legendary head coach John McDonnell, the winner of 42 NCAA national championships, the facility is one of only two IAAF Class 1 certified track and field complexes in the U.S. and the first such facility on a collegiate campus.

The state-of-the-art competition areas include a nine-lane track, a grass infield as well as a full hammer cage and multiple throw areas. The pole vault and jumping pits are reversible and contain two sets of runways to accommodate multiple events.

The new John McDonnell Field played host to the 2006 Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 11-14, 2006. The SEC meet was the first in what promises to be a long line of prominent events slated for the new facility. Future events at the facility will likely include national junior events, an NCAA Regional and potentially the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.