The Irish track and field team is in for a busy few days this weekend, with two meets taking place in two different states.
The first, the Indiana Invitational, will take place in the Gladstein Fieldhouse in Bloomington, Indiana. Most of the team will compete at this Friday/Saturday event. Friday is devoted mostly to preliminaries, with the women's 60-meter hurdles heats starting things off at 3 p.m., followed by the field events with the weight throw and the long jump at 4 p.m. The finals will take place on Saturday morning, beginning at 9:30 a.m. with the weight throw and the triple jump.
At the same time, some Irish athletes will compete in Findlay, Ohio in the Findlay Invitational. The Irish are coming off an impressive performance at the Notre Dame Invitational where both the men and women defeated Michigan State, Marquette, and Wisconsin. Once again, a number of athletes achieved Big East qualifying marks, including junior Joanna Shultz and freshman Natalie Geiger with times of 24.42 and 24.96 in the 200-meter, freshmen Jordan Rincon and Alex Korenstra with times of 47.65 and 49.69 in the 400-meters, and brother Kevin and Matt Schipper in the pole vault.
Furthermore, senior Anna Weber's throw of 19.07 meters achieved her not only a victory in the weight throw, but also an NCAA-provisional qualifying mark. She joins classmate Mary Saxer in the pole vault as the two athletes with NCAA marks.
In the Indiana Invitational, the Irish will compete against major programs such as Indiana, Michigan, and Purdue. The athletes going to the Findlay Invitation will face tough competitors from smaller, Division II schools such as the University of Toronto, the University of Findlay, and Ashland University.
The entire Irish team will return home next weekend for Meyo Invitational, which will feature Big Ten schools such as Iowa and Illinois and is the last home meet before the Big East Championships.
