A-10 Outdoor Championships Central
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's and women's track and field teams will start their outdoor postseason play in Amherst, Ma. for the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championships on Saturday and Sunday.
Mason has made noise in recent championship meets, as the women have won the A-10 championship three of the last five years, while the men are defending an indoor season A-10 championship from earlier in the year, along with being crowned A-10 outdoor champion in 2015 and 2016.
"You gain some confidence and momentum from the success," head coach
Andrew Gerard said. "However, it can only do so much. It doesn't help, in terms of points come race day, but we have been there before and we know what we have to do. We need to take care of our business."
The men are looking to repeat what they did back in February of this year, as they won the A-10 championship for the indoor season. The 4x400-meter relay team is coming off of a strong performance in the historic Penn Relays last week, finishing top-ten in the event.
The women are looking to earn their fourth A-10 championship in six years. The team also performed well last weekend, as the 4x400-meter relay team earned a top-ten finish of their own at the Penn Relays, placing seventh in the event. In addition, junior
Khalilah Hamer earned a new personal record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:29.10) last weekend in Philadelphia.
"We emphasize remembering the process, focusing on what got us here," Gerard said. "The second thing we emphasize is competing well. Regardless if it's your best day or worst day, focus on beating the person next to you. The third aspect to zero in on is harnessing some positive momentum. In order to do that, we have to pay attention to what's going on. Track student-athletes support the field student-athletes and vice versa. We do not do prepare any different. The track is still 400 meters, the shot put is still the same weight, so we have to focus in on the process."
The first event begins Saturday 8:45 a.m. with the women's 10,000-meter run. The first field event begins at 10:30 a.m. with the women's hammer throw. The event finishes on Sunday, beginning at 9:15 a.m. with the decathlon events.
