Track and Field Returns to Action in Mesa and Tempe
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The Northern Arizona track and field team will head down south for a double header this weekend off when it takes part in the Mesa Classic on Friday, and returns to the track Saturday for the Sun Angel Classic on the campus of Arizona State. Friday's events begin at 11:30 a.m. PDT wit the discus throw.
"The meets are going to be great this weekend because the Sun Angel is quickly becoming one of the best meets in the southwest," Interim Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Eric Heins said. "You get a lot of competition from schools with top-tier athletes who want to compete against the best. It is definitely shaping up to be a big weekend for us and a good chance for some of our athletes to double up by competing two days in a row."
Friday's meet will be held on the campus of Mesa Community College, and will feature local junior colleges as well as Division I schools, including Boise State, BYU, Houston and Iowa State.
The 31st annual Sun Angel Classic will see top-tier schools from across the nation compete, including six teams ranked in the top 25 of the men's USTFCCCA rankings (#7 Auburn, #10 Arizona State, #13 Oklahoma, #20 BYU, #21 Minnesota, #22 Kansas State), and five top 25 women's squads (#6 Penn State, #9 Oklahoma, #12 BYU, #14 Auburn, #17 Arizona).
Saturday's events get under way with the discus throw at 12:00 p.m., and conclude with the 4x400-meter relays at 9:30 p.m.
The Lumberjacks will also be trying to expand their Big Sky rosters this weekend as they look to fill the maximum 25 qualifiers on each side. Heading into the weekend meets, NAU has 14 women, and 17 men who have punched their tickets to the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in Odgen, Utah.
NAU also has 13 track and field athletes who find themselves in the top 60 on the NCAA West Region performance list. The top 48 from each event will compete at the NCAA Championships Preliminary Round in Austin, Texas, May 27-29.
