Father Diamond Schedule | Live Results
FAIRFAX, Va. – The season's first indoor track meet always excites head coach Andrew Gerard, his staff and the George Mason men's and women's track and field teams.
But this year especially has the Patriots giddy with anticipation thanks to the addition of 29 freshmen – 17 on the men's team and 12 for the women. Mason fans will get their first chance to see them compete in a Patriots uniform with the season-opening Father Diamond Invitational on Saturday at the George Mason Field House.
"This is like Christmas Eve, (Saturday) is Christmas Day," Gerard said. "It is our first chance to see a lot of our newcomers compete. It is the first chance to see a lot of the older folks, see what kind of improvements they've made through the fall. That being said, it is the first weekend of January so it is not the end of the season by any means. But it is always great to get the rust off and get going, get back into our competitive season."
The meet begins at 10 a.m. with the women's long jump and men's weight throw. Running events begin at 11 a.m. with the women's 60-meter hurdles. For a full schedule, click here.
Fourteen schools will compete, with 12 women's teams and 10 men's squads. Atlantic 10 rivals George Washington and VCU will be on hand, along with local squads Georgetown, Howard and James Madison.
The Patriots hope to build on their reputation as a track powerhouse, especially among the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Mason men won their first A-10 indoor conference title last year (on their home track at the Field House), while the women finished second. The roles were reversed during the outdoor season as the women captured their third A-10 outdoor title in four years; the men finished second.
All-American John Seals headlines the men's squad as he returns for his senior year in the indoor season (he'll be a redshirt junior for outdoor season). The multi-event athlete from Springfield, Va., set the school and Atlantic 10 record in the heptathlon with 5,770 points. He earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Second Team All-American honors after finishing 14 th at the NCAA Indoor Championships last March. He also won three gold medals at the A-10 Indoor Championships and was named the Most Outstanding Field Performer. He also earned CoSIDA Third Team Academic All-American honors last June.
Sophomore sprinter Tyler Benson also returns after being named Most Outstanding Rookie Performer at last year's A-10 Indoor Championships. Senior jumper Raeshawn Bishop returns after winning the A-10 indoor triple jump title. Junior sprinters Evander Pierre (A-10 indoor champ in 400 meters and 4x400) and Rico Gomez (500 meters, distance medley relay and 4x400) are also back to bolster a strong sprinting group. Gomez was also on the 4x400-meter relay team that broke the school record last year at the NCAA East Preliminary.
On the women's side, senior Shelby Garnand is back to defend her A-10 indoor and outdoor titles in the pole vault. Senior sprinters Sharon Dorsey and Ashley Lucas, along with junior Sarah Moore – all members of the gold-medal winning 4x400 team – are back. Ashley Lewis returns after a strong freshman year in which she won the 800-meter crown at the A-10 Outdoor Championships.
In all, the Patriots return eight student-athletes who qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships or NCAA Outdoor East Preliminary last year – Seals, Gomez, Bishop, Benson, Moore, Lewis, steeplechase school record-holder Paul Adam and sprinter Kornelius Klah.
"Our goal is to contend for the A-10 title, indoors and out – be in the mix," Gerard said. "We did graduate a large number of impact guys last year. So, on one hand, we're a little less experienced. But, on the other hand, we've got some freshmen and newcomers we're really excited about on the men's side. I expect it really to be no different than it has been in the past. Just new names and new faces. On the women's side, we graduated a few less but still some important folks for us. So again, we brought in a number of young ladies we think can impact us pretty much right away, shore up some events where we were a little light last year.
"So I think that we are in a good spot on both sides with the squad heading in (to the season). It is a long time toward outdoors, but both (teams) should be exciting. We've got a lot of exciting possibilities."
