Women's Track & Field | 3/13/2019 2:38:00 PM

Hurricane Invitational Schedule | William & Mary Triangular Schedule

FAIRFAX, Va. – Riding momentum from a successful end to the indoor season, the George Mason men's and women's track and field teams shift gears and head outdoors.

The Patriots open up the outdoor track and field season this weekend, splitting up and competing at meets in Miami and in nearby Williamsburg. 

A contingent of sprinters and throwers will head to sunny Florida to compete in the Hurricane Invitational in Miami on Friday and Saturday. Meanwhile, another group of Patriots will be competing in sprints, middle distance, distance, hurdles, relays, the pole vault and the jumping and throwing events at the William & Mary Triangular between Mason, Virginia & William & Mary on Saturday in Williamsburg.

The Patriots are three weeks removed from their last meet – the Atlantic 10 Indoor Track & Field Championships at the George Mason Field House. The Mason men captured the team championship for the second time in three years while the women placed second.

"We got good things done indoors and there is always a little bit of a reset button," head coach Andrew Gerard said. "You come off at least an emotional and mental peak, if not a physical one, toward the end of the indoor season. I think we're in a good spot. Most folks are not starting off in their prime events this weekend. A lot of the folks going to William & Mary are kind of shifting around (to different events) a little bit."

Just like the indoor campaign, the outdoor season is only eight weeks long (not including the ECAC/IC4A Championships and the NCAA East Preliminary and NCAA Championship, which both are meets that require meeting qualifying standards). Thus, Gerard stresses the importance of making the most of every meet from the two this weekend all the way up to the A-10 Outdoor Championships on May 4-5 in Amherst, Mass.

"If you don't get the ball rolling fairly quickly, the season is going to pass you by," Gerard said. "More often than not, the people who rise to the top at Father Diamond (the first meet of the indoor season) are the ones that are still there at the end of the year at the championship meets if you look back. It doesn't mean that Father Diamond was there best performance or it doesn't mean that Father Diamond was the pinnacle of what they were doing. But they seem to get that momentum early. Because I don't think you can underestimate how short the season is when it comes right down it, especially given the weather in the spring season."