George Mason University Athletics

Track & Field Heads to Boston for Split Weekend

Track & Field Sends Group to Loyola-Hopkins Invitational

George Mason Athletics Men's Track & Field 4/15/2016 4:20:00 PM

FAIRFAX, Va. – Atypical weather hindered and even forced the George Mason men's and women's track and field teams to keep some athletes out of competition last weekend.

This weekend, the Patriots hope to capitalize on what is expected to be an ideal spring weekend with sunny skies and temperatures reaching the high 60s. Mason sends a small contingency to the Loyola-Johns Hopkins Track & Field Invitational in Baltimore on Saturday.

Frigid conditions, blistery wind and even snow made for a tough weekend at the Mason Spring Invitational. This weekend, some of those student-athletes – especially the long and triple jumpers – affected by the weather last weekend will get another chance to reach qualifying marks as the season winds down.

“You have a limited number of opportunities in the spring to try to get qualifying marks, to try to get top performances. You've also got to balance that with the right training,” head coach Andrew Gerard said. “With the weather, you never know what is going to happen, so it will serve as another opportunity. Last weekend was probably the first weekend of the mid-season, if you want to call it that. This weekend you get a little deeper into it. Really midseason for us is only two or three weekends. It is going to be a pretty significant opportunity to get a few things done.”

The Patriots will take its pole vaulters, high jumpers, multi-event athletes, throwers and long and triple jumpers to the Loyola-Hopkins Invitational, which is expected to welcome more than 20 teams. The extra training time also been helpful for the sprinters and distance runners, who won't be competing this weekend.

“We've been really pleased with how the training is going,” Gerard said. “(Associate head coach Randy) Bungard has been able to work in a few more aggressive workouts that you might have comprised if you knew had races coming on the very near horizon. Same thing with the distance runners. I've been really pleased with the last couple weeks of work that we've gotten done – specifically this week. This window has been really good as far as getting stuff done.”

After this weekend, the Patriots have just two more weekends before hosting the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships on May 7-8 at George Mason Stadium.

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