Special to the Banner-News
The Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame will hold its 21st annual induction ceremony on Friday, June 5, in the Silver City Ballroom of the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel, North Little Rock.
Scheduled to be inducted are two former Olympians, April Steiner Bennett and Jeff Hartwig, as well as other notables, Mike Armstrong, George Eriquezzo, Joe Nooner, and Brooks Rice.
Armstrong is a Track and Field and Cross Country Official and Clinician. He has officiated at many USATF, NCAA, SEC Championship events. He is Past President of the Arkansas Association, USATF and is currently the Officials and Certification Chairman. In 2011 he was the recipient of the Horace Crow Award as the Nation’s Outstanding Field Event Official.
Bennett was a three-time All-American in the Women’s Pole Vault at the University of Arkansas, becoming the first SEC athlete to clear 13’ indoors. In 2007 she finished 2nd at the Pan Am Games and in 2008 was a member of the US Olympic team, finishing 8th. She is still competing professionally.
Eriquezzo was a four-year varsity track athlete at Danbury High School in Connecticut and a collegiate athlete at Southern Arkansas University, formerly Southern State. While at Southern State he set AIC records in 100 and 220-yard dashes at the 1966 AIC Championship meet. In 1965 he ran a 9.3 100-yard dash at a meet in Little Rock. The world record at the time was 9.2. Eriquezzo is also a member of the Southern Arkansas University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Hartwig was a collegiate pole vaulter at Arkansas State University. During a long career, he was a member of the US Olympic teams in 1996 and 2008. Over the years he was highly ranked in the US and the World, culminating in being ranked #1 in both in 2002. He was the first American to clear 19’ or higher 10 times in a single season. In 2002 he set the American indoor record of 19’9”. He has also set several Masters World Records (40-44 age), the highest being 18’10”.
Nooner was a former track athlete at Conway High School and Hendrix College. He coached track and field for 39 years in Arkansas, with 38 years being at West Memphis. He was Head Track and Field coach for 35 years (1975-2009). While head coach, his teams won six boy’s state championships and 15 conference championships in a six year span. He has served as a meet official at many high school state track meets and is a two term past president of the Arkansas Track Coaches Association.
Rice was an outstanding track athlete at Camden High School and Oklahoma A&M (now OSU). He competed in the sprints, low hurdles, long jump and relays. During his collegiate career he won 44 medals at major track meets such as Texas Relays, Kansas Relays, Penn Relays and Drake Relays. He was inducted into the OSU Hall of Honor in 1983. He was awarded an academic scholarship to Harvard Business School for a Master’s Degree and later acquired ownership of the Grapette Soda patent and resurrected the business. He now serves as President of the Board of Grapette International.
Tickets for the banquet, which begins at 6:30 p.m., are $50.00 and will be available through June 1.
For more information, contact Charles Tadlock at 870-942-6478.