Looking ahead to outdoor track

Here's a quick look at our outdoor track schedule, with dates, meets and comments on the meets.

Saturday, March 27, Monmouth Season Opener, West Long Branch, NJ: It has been a long time since we have opened our season at this meet. We usually open up at Army, since it is convenient. But the Army meet was pushed back one week. So we head back to the Jersey Shore, where my last memory of this meet was standing like a frozen mummy in the chilly and windy conditions. The Monmouth campus is just a few miles from the beach, and it can be windy in late March. This meet features a full slate of events, including the coach's favorite (10km!). Most of our athletes will be running this meet, with the exception of those that competed late in indoors.

Friday, April 2, Sam Howell Invitation (Distance races): This is Good Friday, and the majority of the team will be back home for the short Easter break. For a few long-distance runners, this meet will be available. The time standards for entry into the meet got a lot harder this year, so our numbers might be lower than in the past.

Friday/Saturday, April 9-10, Bison Outdoor Classic, Bucknell: Really looking forward to this one, a meet that we have never attended. The Friday portion of the meet includes most distance races, with some elite-level fields. The Saturday portion of the meet includes the rest of the events. It is a competitive meet and should be an excellent, early-season test for us. On a personal note, I have always wanted to visit the Lewisburg, Pa., campus of Bucknell because it is where one of my favorite historical baseball figures went to college -- Christy Mathewson. The Big Six. The Christian Gentleman. Matty was a true American hero.

Friday, April 16, Larry Ellis Invitation (Distance races): Ditto Sam Howell. With Bucknell the week prior and Penn Relays the week after, our numbers for this night might be very, very light. We'll see.

Saturday, April 17, Metropolitan Championships, Palisades Park, NJ: Nice meet and a nice venue in the former swamps and toxic waste dumps of my otherwise beautiful Garden State.

Thursday, April 22, Penn Relays: Distance Night at Penn. Probably will include a handful of men this year and that's it.

Saturday, April 24, Penn Relays: Coach Chuck is planning on bringing a women's 4x800 this year as he did last year.

Sunday, April 25, Yale Springtime Invitational: An excellent, post-Penn meet at Yale. We have been going to this meet for many, many years.

Friday, April 30, Matthew Vassar Open: Ha! As close to a home meet as we get! Vassar's second annual (for us, anyway) Friday night meet. We will have a good number of athletes who will not be competing at MAACs attending this meet. I am trying to talk the Vassar coach (James McCowan) into adding a 10km for us. If he runs it, we will come.

Saturday/Sunday, May 1-2, MAAC Championships, Rider: I will not be in attendance for Day 1 of the meet because of my daughter's First Holy Communion. New this year: A 4x800 relay on Day 1. Otherwise, the usual deal.

Saturday, May 8, NYC Qualifying Challenge, Icahn Stadium: We have brought a few athletes to this meet the past couple of years. A decent last-chance meet.

Friday/Sunday, May 14-16, IC4A/ECAC Championships, Princeton: TBA, depending on qualifiers.

Friday/Saturday, May 28-29, NCAA Regionals, Greensboro, NC: TBA, depending on qualifiers.

June 23-27, USATF Championships, Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa: TBA, depending on qualifiers.