Meyo and Tiger invites next for Sycamores

The men’s and women’s track and field teams will split their squads this weekend and head to different meets.  Most of the track event athletes will head to Notre Dame for the Meyo Invitational, and the majority of the field event athletes will compete at DePauw University for the Tiger Invitational.

The indoor track at Notre Dame, at 320 meters around, is the biggest track the Sycamores will run on all season, as most indoor tracks are only 200 meters around.

Men’s head coach John McNichols said this will be a great opportunity for the athletes to run a fast time.

“Being on an oversized track does not mean that you will automatically run fast,” McNichols said. “But it does attract high caliber athletes, so the pace is relatively fast. And if you are ready to work, you have an opportunity to run a fast time. The competition should help us get some good performances. And we are taking Major Clay in the high jump because the competition will help him get a good mark.”

Women’s head coach John Gartland echoed McNichols comments about the possibility for great performances at Notre Dame.

“We are taking anyone that we think can benefit from being on a 320-meter indoor track. Of note, we will be taking Erica [Moore] to run the 800,” Gartland said. “We have several athletes that we want to improve on their times for NCAA’s, and the competition will be great to help get them there.”

At the Tiger Invitational, the field athletes will compete in great field venues. This will also be a controlled environment, which will help take the pressure off the athletes and let them concentrate.

“DePauw has an outstanding field house, and they are hosting the NCAA Div. III National Indoor Championships this year. They have excellent field event areas, and we can look forward to good performances even without the high level of competition that we would otherwise see at Notre Dame,” Gartland said. 

The Meyo Invitational is set to begin Friday at 6:30 p.m. Then the competition will begin Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. and conclude around 4:45 p.m.

The Tiger Invitational will begin Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and finish up around 4:00 p.m.