Light Blue Track Splits Up to Face Tough Competition Across Country

This weekend, the Columbia track teams will once again split up to compete in different parts of the country as they look to gain conference experience and train for league and national championships.

The Light Blue’s contests will begin with the Sun Angel Track Classic, hosted by Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz. The Sun Devils are currently the number-one women’s team in the country, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s latest rankings. On the men’s side, ASU is ranked seventh nationally. The Sun Devils, along with men’s teams Florida (#2), Alabama (#9), and Auburn (#12), and women’s teams Florida (#5), Auburn (#16), Arizona (#19), and Penn State (#25), should provide tough competition for the Lions that travel to the meet.

The teams will then travel to two meets on Saturday, the Brown Invitational and the Miami Elite Invitational. The Brown Invitational will expose the Lions to Ivy League contenders, including distance runner Smita Gupta and shot-putter David Howard from the host Bears. Though Columbia did not attend the Invitational last year, the expected competition includes the University of Rhode Island, Northeastern University, and the University of Connecticut.

The Miami Elite Invitational will be hosted by the University of Miami, ranked seventh nationally on the women’s side and 57th on the men’s. Last season, the meet yielded great individual success for the Lions, with Erison Hurtault, CC ’07, dashing a school record in the 400-meter race. Current Light Blue athletes, including sophomore Cory Benton, junior Tyler Hendry, senior Whitney Crayton, and junior Melissa Ikono, will be looking to repeat their strong performances at this weekend’s invitational.

Competition will last all day at each event. The Lions’ upcoming contests are the Princeton Invitational and the New York Relays next weekend.