The indoor track and field season will culminate this weekend in Fayetteville, Ark., with the NCAA Indoor Championships, where ASU will be sending 12 members.
The top eight finishers in each event will earn All-America honors.
The men's 4x400m relay team will return to the championships with seniors Seth Amoo and Jason Barton, junior Lewis Banda and sophomore Domenik Peterson. The team ran in the event last year and holds the NCAA indoor record.
The relay team highlights an experienced group -- seven of the 12 ASU athletes participated in Arkansas last year.
Peterson feels the relay team can improve on last year's third-place finish.
"Last year we kind of messed that [the relay] up," Peterson said. "This year we'll go back mainly concentrating on the 4x400m. I feel I owe the team and myself from last year."
Peterson and Amoo will also run the 200m dash, while Barton will participate in the 400m dash. This will be the third consecutive year that Amoo and Barton will be at the Indoor Championships.
Peterson currently holds the 13th fastest 200m dash time in the world and is currently ranked No. 7 in the event.
Banda is ranked No. 10 in the 400m.
In the field, senior Trevell Quinley and sophomore Brandon Glenn will take part in the long jump and pole vault, respectively.
Sophomore Joshua Kinnaman -- who will make his first appearance at the championships in the decathlon, rounds out the men's team.
Distance runners dominate the women's team heading to Arkansas.
Senior Cassandra Reed, junior Rachel Ellison and sophomores Jessie McLaughlin and Amy Hastings comprise the women's distance medley team that will make the trip fresh after setting the school record last week at the Alex Wilson Invitational.
Hastings will also be participating in the 5000m run. She finished 11th last year and said she is excited to be going back to the championships.
"It always feels good to be going to a national event," Hastings said. "That's what you work for the whole season."
Ellison will take part in the one-mile run, and sophomore Julia Pederson will be in the shot put to round out the Sun Devil squad.
Last season, the men finished in a tie for 12th place, while the women tied for 27th.
Reach the reporter at thomas.j.kelley@asu.edu.
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