This weekend the men and women's track and field teams head to New York City to compete in the country's largest and most prestigious indoor track meet of the year, the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the Armory.
BYU athletes will be the only team attending the meet from the state of Utah, and will be competing with the best teams in the nation and in the most phenomenal facilities track and field has to offer. This meet is unique because it is the only scored meet of the indoor season the Cougars will attend, meaning there will be a winning team.
A BYU track and field athlete competes at the Clarence F. Robison Track. The Cougars face stiff competition at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational this weekend. (Photo by Luke Hansen)
On the women's side, eight of the nation's top 10 teams will be in attendance, teams BYU has beat out the last three years. In 2010, the Cougars placed second, in 2011 they took first place, and last year they snagged another second place.
'This is a rebuilding year for us; we will not score as well as we have the last three years,' women's head coach Patrick Shane said. 'The opportunity for this young team to be with this caliber of competition in their early years is invaluable.'
For the men, ten of the top 25 teams in the nation will be present, and BYU currently makes the rankings as No. 19.
'My hope is that we continue to get better,' men's head coach Mark Robison said. 'Last week was really a good week. We have a few kids who are banged up and that's a concern, and we have really gotta step up.'
The meet begins Friday at 7:30 a.m. and continues through Saturday evening.