This weekend, Notre Dame will split up again to compete in two different meets. Part of the team will be competing at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia starting Thursday, while another contingent of Irish athletes is heading to Hillsdale to take part in the Gina Relays, which begin Friday afternoon.
With the ACC championships now only two weeks away, the Irish will be looking to use the weekend to continue improving on personal bests and gear up for postseason competition.
The Irish will be competing at the Penn Relays for the second-consecutive year. Billed as the oldest track and field event in the country, the event annually plays host to some of top athletes from around the nation and the world at every age level.
The Notre Dame women’s squad will be fielding relay teams in seven events, while the Irish men will have a presence in four relay events. Aside from competing in relays, several Irish athletes will be competing in individual events.
Among those on the men’s side, sophomore sprinter Troy Pride Jr. will be looking to perform well in the 100-meter dash.
Irish senior Jordan Shead will be competing in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. Shead is currently seeded fifth in the event.
On the infield, the Irish have a pair of jumpers who will be looking to make a big impact. Graduate student Nathan Richartz will be seeking his sixth-consecutive win in the men’s pole vault this weekend. He is seeded first in the event. Junior Matthew Birzer is seeded fourth in the high jump.
On the women’s side, graduate student Indi Jackson will be looking to succeed in the shot put. Jackson is seeded 13th in the event.
Several Irish athletes will also be competing at the Gina Relays, hosted by Hillsdale College in Michigan. Over 1,000 athletes from several Division I and Division III schools are expected to be in attendance.
The Penn Relays will kick off Friday at 1 p.m. at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, and competition will continue through Saturday afternoon. The Gina Relays will kick off Friday afternoon in Hillsdale, Michigan, and run through Saturday afternoon, as well.
