San Marcos, Texas – After three solid indoor competitions, the Texas State men's and women's track and field teams will close out its pre-conference schedule at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. this weekend, Feb. 10-11, on the campus of the University of Arkansas.

“We definitely are facing the toughest competition of the season this weekend,” said head coach Dana Boone. “I'd like to see our athletes step up and handle the new environment that we'll be facing.”

For the women, freshman Alexus Hebert and sophomores Franchelle Hill and Courtney Miller will represent the Bobcats in the 60- and 200-meter dashes. Hill and Hebert are both currently tied for seventh in the conference with their time of 7.67 in the 60 meters while Miller leads the team in the 200 meters with a time of 25.52.

“Our sprinters are running in the middle of the pack in the conference,” Boone said. “We're an improved team but we still need to get better.”

In the pole vault, the Bobcats will be led by senior Elena Horn and freshman Anicka Newell, who are both currently ranked in the top-five in the SLC and have recorded four top-five finishes so far this season.

In the triple jump, freshmen Adrina Davenport and Camille Bender are both ranked in the top-10 in the SLC. Davenport set her season-high mark of 11.99 meters (39-04) at the Texas 10-Team Invitational to open the season, ranking her third in the conference.

Also among the top in the league at this point in the season are sophomore Tina Valenzuela and junior Kelsey Titzman. Valenzuela set a personal record in the 60-meter hurdles two weeks ago in Houston when she finished first with 8.85. In the shot put, Titzman has found herself in the top-five in the conference with her throw of 13.95 meters (45-09.25), which she set at the Texas 10-Team Invitational.

On the men's side, the Bobcats enter the week ranked No. 14 in the South Central Region for the second time this season. Texas State is one of five Southland schools to make the Week 3 rankings.

The Bobcats will have the 200-meter school record holder James Johnson competing in the 60- and 200-meter dash. This will be the first time Johnson has competed in the 200 meters since he broke the school record on Jan.14 in College Station.

In the 800 meters, freshman Charles Grethen and junior William Taudien will look to move up in the league standings in their last outing before the SLC Indoor Championships. Grethen is currently second in the SLC while Taudien is sixth. Also on the track this weekend will be junior Timothy Young, who ranks third in the conference in the 60 meters and the 60-meter hurdles.

Juniors Logan Cunningham and Landon Ferguson will lead the charge for the Bobcats in the pole vault this weekend as two of the top-five vaulters in the SLC. Last week, Cunningham set a new personal record of 5.28 meters (17-03.75), which propelled him to 21st in the nation. The two combined have a total of five top-four finishes through three meets.

In the throws, freshman Darian Brown and junior Chaz Laijas have recorded strong marks this season as Laijas is third in the conference in the weight throw and Brown is seventh in the shot put. Laijas will return to action this weekend after posting a season-best throw of 16.75 meters (54-11.50) at the Houston Indoor Invitational.

“Our throwers have been very consistent and each week they've gotten better,” Boone said. “I think they're on the verge of having a breakthrough.”

Competition will begin at noon on Friday with the women's high jump and conclude Saturday afternoon. Fans can access live results at www.flashresults.com/index.htm and video streaming at www.arkansasrazorbacks.com. Complete results will be posted at www.txstatebobcats.com for both Friday and Saturday.