Head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said that it is important for her athletes to get their season off on the right foot by reaching their qualifying marks as soon into the season as possible. The sooner they get their qualifying marks, the less stress there will be later in the season.
She believes that her athletes heading to Palo Alto, Ca. have a great chance to qualify and avoid that stress.
By earning less competitive marks than needed in indoor season, athletes can advance to the NCAA Regional Championships. During the regional competition, where anything can happen, the top five athletes in each event advance to NCAA Championships.
"There's a regional mark out there that is actually a very attainable mark for a large portion of our team," Alford-Sullivan said. "We typically have somewhere in the vicinity of a dozen to 20 guys that will make the regional championships. The kids that are going out to Stanford are looking to get a lot done. There are no breaks."
The highly competitive Stanford Invitational draws some of the best athletes from across the country. Cobb Track and Angell Field is well-known for being a top venue for their middle distance and distance runs. While the Lions do not have anyone competing is those events, they will look to capitalize on the traditionally great weather conditions.
Javelin thrower Allen Pettner will be competing in his first meet of the season. He is optimistic that he can get his season off to a great start against a strong field.
"I'm pretty excited. I've been training six months for this first meet," Pettner said. "Everything builds up to this and then I can finally let loose and let everything out of the bag."
Some of the other notable Lions set to compete in the Stanford Invitational are Mark Miller in the 800 meters, Ron Jules in the 110-meter high hurdles and Tim Johnson and Brian Fuller in the 1500-meter run.
One notable absentee from the Stanford Invitational is high jumper Ryan Fritz. Fritz will be headed with the majority of his team in Fairfax, Va.
Alford-Sullivan is trying to keep Fritz low-key this weekend after a heavy training load after the indoor national championships.
After an up-and-down indoor season, she is hopeful that some of the earlier success can carry through to the new season.
"It's always a challenge [to transition] because you have to take a little bit of a break from the indoor to gear back up for the outdoor, but we have had enough time." Alford-Sullivan said "Our kids are training hard, they're healthy and they're hungry."
