02/12/2008 - GoDucks.com

EUGENE – Nearing the halfway point of the indoor track and field season, the University of Oregon teams face a busy weekend of action this Fri. -Sat., Feb. 15-16 at a pair of highly-regarded invitationals.

A tentative travel party of 47 men's and women's athletes from the sprints, distances, jumps and throws areas will compete Sat., Feb. 16 in the Husky Classic, held in the Dempsey Indoor Center in Seattle, Wash. Action will run approximately from 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m., and more meet information and tentative meet schedule is available at the www.gohuskies.com website.

Another group of 10 men's and women's athletes from the jumps, sprints and middle distance areas will compete Fri.-Sat., in the Tyson Invitational, held in the Randal A. Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark. Events run from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Friday Central Time, and again on Saturday from approximately 10 a.m. – 4:45 pm. (CT). More meet information is located at the www.ladybacks.com and www.hogwired.com websites.

DUCK TEAM PREVIEW - FAYETTEVILLE

Oregon's Fayetteville squad features a pair of NCAA qualifiers, including automatic qualifier in the heptathlon sophomore Ashton Eaton (long jump) and provisional qualifier sophomore Keshia Baker (400 meters, 20th), and NCAA veteran senior Irie Searcy (200 meters). This group will be joined by 2007 regional qualifiers Philip Alexander (400 meters), Marcus Dillon (400 meters), Jared Huske (60 meter hurdles) and Pac-10 qualifier Chad Barlow (400 meters). Freshmen Amy Skofstad (long jump), Mandy White (60 meters, 200 meters) and Jamesha Youngblood (long jump, triple jump) round out Oregon's Tyson Invitational participants.

Eaton and Youngblood will compete in the championship sections of the long jump against some of the world's best athletes in these events. The Ducks will also field both men's and women's 4x400 relay teams in the championship sections of the invitational.

DUCK TEAM PREVIEW - SEATTLE

The Seattle travel party squad includes returning All-American sophomore A.J. Acosta and NCAA veteran junior Michael McGrath.

Also slated to compete in Seattle this weekend are six current NCAA provisional qualifiers, including...