Cornell ready to host IC4As

It's the granddaddy of them all.

No, not the Rose Bowl, it's the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletics of America (IC4A), the oldest athletic association in the world.

The IC4A Championship is held at different facilities every year. This weekend the competition is being held in Ithaca, N.Y., at Cornell University.

Cornell coach Lou Duesing, a former graduate and assistant track coach at Penn State, said he is looking forward to this weekend's competition.

"I'm excited," Duesing said. "This is a first-time honor for us and may be the last time the meet is exclusively for men."

The IC4A holds separate meets for the men and women, but there is talk of combining the meets for next year, Duesing said.

Villanova coach John Marshall said the IC4A is a great meet, but it's important to hold the meet at a good facility.

"The competition year-to-year depends on the facility," Marshall said. "When it's held at a good facility, athletes have a better opportunity to qualify for the NCAAs."

The IC4As bring up to 80 teams together to see which team is the best and also crowns individual champions. Penn State coach Harry Groves said if you win a title at the IC4As, it's a piece of history.

Before the creation of the NCAA, the IC4As were considered to be the national championships, Duesing said.

Individuals have to meet a qualifying standard for their particular event to compete in the competition. The same rule applies for the NCAAs, but Duesing said the qualifying marks for the IC4As are less rigorous.

Georgetown has been the team to beat at the championship, winning the team crown the past five years. Hoyas coach Frank Gagliano said his team has to be ready to compete this weekend.

"We always go up there to compete," Gagliano said. "We are a deep team and score in a lot of events."

In last year's indoor competition, Georgetown ran away with the team championship, scoring 81 points. Connecticut finished second behind the Hoyas with 37 ½ points.

Marshall said one reason the Hoyas are strong is Gagliano.

"He's a great coach," Marshall said. "He has done a great job with what he has."

Gagliano said some teams to watch out for this weekend along with Georgetown are Princeton, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Manhattan and Penn State.