NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships 2015: Dates and Live Stream Schedule
March is certainly championship month in college athletics. College basketball has men's and women's conference tournaments, the all-important NCAA tournament, the NIT, CIT and the CBI—just to throw some alphabet soup at you. There are skiing and fencing championships. Don't forget the Division I wrestling championships in St. Louis, or the swimming and diving elite headed to Iowa City, Iowa, this month.
Not interested in any of those sports? Well, fans still in need of a high-stakes fix can enjoy the 2015 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships, a mammoth meet set to take place over two days, March 13 and 14, at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The best college track and field athletes will descend upon the University of Arkansas' facilities to compete for top honors, both as individuals and as members of their respective schools.
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Last year in Albuquerque, New Mexico, track and field powerhouse Oregon posted the top score in both the men's and women's divisions. The Ducks once again appear to be among the top schools headed to the meet, but they will certainly face fierce competition in Arkansas.
For those looking to keep tabs on the event, here's a look at the live stream schedule for the event
Live Stream
| March 13 | 6:50 p.m. | WatchESPN |
| March 14 | 5:50 p.m. | WatchESPN |
Note: Live coverage of the event courtesy of WatchESPN. A tape delay of the event will air March 23 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU, per NCAA.com.
Event Schedule
A list of events and start times can be found at NCAA.com.
Preview
As previously mentioned, the Oregon competitors figure to be a tough contingent once again this year. The Ducks are ranked No. 2 in the nation in men's track and field heading into the tournament, trailing only Florida, per NCAA.com.
Host school Arkansas are ranked third on the men's side, but they hold the top overall spot in the women's rankings. Florida is ranked second in that division, followed by Kentucky. The Oregon women are ranked sixth nationally, but have taken the indoor title in each of the past five years. However, The Oregonian's Ken Goe believes it will be tough for the women to repeat this year, and he gives Arkansas the edge:
"In the women's meet, Arkansas is the clear favorite. I have the Razorbacks with 62 points. Even if they falter, Georgia, Kentucky, Florida and Texas all are better positioned on my chart to challenge than the Ducks.
Oregon will need to max out and hope the others falter. The Ducks could make up ground in the long jump -- where Jenna Prandini is the defending NCAA outdoor champion but seeded fourth, and Jasmine Todd, who finished sixth indoors last year and seeded seventh -- and the hurdles, where Sasha Wallace is seeded a non-scoring ninth.
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Looking for an especially tough competition, in both a literal and figurative sense? The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) notes that this year's shot put field may be one of the most competitive of all time:
The Gators are sending the most athletes to Arkansas, with 27 men and women set to compete. Arkansas and Oregon are next on the list with 25 representatives apiece. Naturally, these schools are front-runners for the team competitions, but some of the best athletes to watch won't necessarily come from this dominant trio of schools.
Texas A&M boasts a defending champion in senior Deon Lendore, who is set to participate in the 400-meter dash and the 4x400-meter relay. Lendore won the 400-meter dash last year with a time of 45.21 seconds.
Lendore also won the 2014 Bowerman Award as the nation's top male collegiate track and field athlete, per a Texas A&M press release (h/t KAGSTV.com). The Aggies will also send Brea Garrett, among others, to defend her title in the weight throw.
Let's not ignore Florida. Athletes to watch from Gainesville include Marquis Dendy, competing in the men's long jump and triple jump, and Najee Glass, who posted the top 400-meter time in the world this season with a time of 45.34 seconds at the Razorbacks Invitational in January, per NJ.com's Jim Lambert.
Arkansas could and should be the team to beat in both the men's and women's divisions this year thanks to their hosting advantage, but the likes of Florida, Oregon, Texas A&M and Texas will make it tough in both divisions.
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