Duke Invitational Live Scoring |
Michael Johnson Invitational Live Scoring
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's and women's track and field teams split up this weekend to head to meets more favorable to their respective event groups.
That means warm weather for the sprinters and cooler temps for the distance runners.
The Patriots will send sprinters, jumpers and hurdlers to Michael Johnson Invitational, which is hosted by Baylor on Saturday in Waco, Texas. Middle distance and distance runners, along with throws and pole vaulters, head to the Duke Invitational on Friday and Saturday in Durham, N.C.
At the Michael Johnson Invitational, the field will include student-athletes from Baylor, Miami, Notre Dame, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU and Texas Tech. At the Duke Invitational, the field features Duke, North Carolina, West Virginia, East Carolina, Atlantic 10 foe Davidson and William & Mary, among others.
"You go down to Texas, warmer conditions, hotbed (for sprints)," George Mason head coach
Andrew Gerard said. "Baylor for a long time was 4x1 university. If you go down to Texas that is what you're aiming for – sprinters, up through 400 meters – that's the primetime spot. Duke, obviously, the conditions are going to be hopefully a little cooler, a little bit less windy, a little bit less humid than out on the plains in Texas. It will give those kids the top opportunity there."
With just two weeks before the Atlantic 10 Conference Outdoor Championships at the University of Massachusetts, this weekend provides one of the last chances for the Patriots to lower times and set higher marks. Next week, the teams will send just a handful of competitors to the Penn Relays in Philadelphia and thrower
Michelle Wallerstedt will head to the Drake Relays in Des Moines.
Thus, this weekend figures to be the last "big-level" weekend before championship season begins with the A-10 Championship on May 6-7.
"These are very strong (NCAA) Regional level meets," Gerard said. "These will set us up well and we should be able to see certainly top level competition across the board."
