SFA Track and Field Set to Take Part in Pair of Weekend Meets

UTSA Roadrunner Invitational | Meet Schedule | Live Results

Rice Invitational | Meet Schedule | Live Results

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin track and field team will look to continue a solid start to the 2018 outdoor season with competition at a pair of in-state track meets this weekend. While the bulk of the team travels to the UTSA Roadrunner invitational in San Antonio, the distance group will travel to Rice University and take part in the Victor Lopez Classic Meet in Houston. The pair of meets come on the heels of a positive trend in the team's performance overall, stemming from the tail end of the indoor season.

"I think there is a marked difference between where we are now and where we were this time last year," said SFA head track and field coach Phil Olson. "We could definitely see a difference this weekend in our effort and concentration, we very much had a businesslike attitude on the way up there. Seeing how our athletes got off the bus, got started warming up and preparing for competition was really great to see, and that's a great way to start the outdoor season."

Led by some strong performances at last weekend's TCU invitational, which featured competition from various in-region Power Five programs as well as local mid-majors and some Southland programs, the 'Jacks continued an upward trend in their performance that dated back to the Southland Indoor championships in March. There, the 'Jacks finished second on the men's side and third on the women's, with a handful of top finishers and a bevy of top five finishes.

"We saw some excellent efforts and determination at TCU, we saw some kids battle and fight through adversity, and that's what we're looking for", explained Olson. "We want to be the best we can be in every moment of every day, and we saw a lot of that this week, which was fun."

"It's a confidence thing", Olson said of his team's improved performance. "Those athletes that finished well at the indoor championships were able to say 'Okay this is where I am, this is what my coaches want to see from me, and this is what I need to do to be successful'. Also, we've got some athletes that are healthier now, getting back to training and that creates a good ripple effect through our team and is positive for everybody."

The 36th running of the annual Victor Lopez Classic will begin with high school competition on Thursday, followed by collegiate events on beginning on Friday and carrying into Saturday.

"(Rice coach) Jon Warren and his staff do an excellent job with this meet every year, and it's always a nice meet for the distance runners, they have the distance events in the evening and so it represents a nice opportunity for our kids to maybe hit a qualifying time for the Mt. Sac Relays later down the road, and of course the NCAA's", explained Olson. "For those reasons, we hope to see many of them push through and get some good times there."

Those that are not heading to the Victor Lopez Classic will instead test their mettle at the Roadrunner Invitational, the second of two meets hosted by UTSA in as many weeks. The three-day event will kick off with the heptathlon and decathlon competition on Thursday, with those events wrapping up on Friday. Field events will begin on Friday afternoon, with the remainder taking place alongside the running events on Saturday.

"UTSA is a nice meet for the sprinters, jumpers and throwers because it's typically pretty warm. We'll also have some outstanding competition this weekend, with some Big 12 schools, some SEC schools and some really good mid-major programs, so we'll really be in the thick of it this weekend."

-SFA-

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SFA Track and Field Set to Take Part in Pair of Weekend Meets

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