FAIRFAX, Va. – After a three-week break with the conclusion of the indoor season, the George Mason men's and women's track and field teams head outside to begin the outdoor season.

And the Patriots hit the road for not one, not two, but three different meets this weekend to kickstart the outdoor campaign.

Both teams will spread out over three meets, starting on Friday and ending on Saturday. The sprinters and long and triple jumpers head south for the Hurricane Invitational in Miami. The distance squads and multi-event athletes venture to William & Mary for the Tribe Invitational in Williamsburg, Va. Finally, the throwers will compete at the VCU Ram Invite in Richmond, Va.

“I want to see a good, competitive opener,” head coach Andrew Gerard said. “We want to see the kids pick up where they left off indoors and build upon that a little bit. We have had two or three weeks of good training. We have had good weather so they should be in a position to capitalize on that.”

The Patriots are coming off a solid indoor season in which the men placed second at the Atlantic 10 Conference Indoor Championships and the women finished third. The teams also combined for nine individual conference titles and one relay championship.

Breaking up the teams and sending athletes to different meets this weekend was designed to cater to each specific group. The sprinters, hurdles and horizontal jumpers will receive a good test down at Miami. The weather will be much cooler in Virginia, which could play to the advantage of the distance squads at the Tribe Open. And the VCU Ram Invite offers a welcoming setup for the Patriots throwers, especially with the discus, javelin and hammer underway now with the outdoor season starting.

“We're pretty excited,” Gerard said. “We have had some good weather – up and down over the last week or so. But I think everybody has been excited to get outside. It's not a complete different sport. But there are some aspects that are different than indoor track – for good and bad… The sport is kind of like playing basketball on an indoor court versus an outdoor court. There is just an additional level of variables. That is where the sport is at its purest I think.”