USU track team is in Fieldhouse for only home meet
The USU indoor track team will host Long Beach State University, Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, and Weber State University in the George Nelson Fieldhouse today.
The Wilson Motor Invitational is the Aggies’ only home meet of the season and will begin at 4:30 p.m. and end around 10 p.m. It will be free to the public, and Head Coach Gregg Gensel said he is looking forward to seeing the athletes compete at home.
“It always helps to have the home crowd,” he said. “It’s like the old saying – there’s no place like home.”
This is the first time in a long time the Aggies have had a home meet on a Friday night, said thrower James Parker, so the crowd may be larger than in past years. Meets are usually held Saturday mornings.
“Being at home is great,” Parker said. “People you know can come out and watch, so you get up and get excited.”
This is the Aggies’ second team meet of the season. Their season-opener was the Snake River Open at Idaho State University Jan. 13, where about 25 athletes competed.
Three USU athletes went down as individuals to the Pole Vault Summit in Reno Jan. 20, but the rest of the athletes haven’t competed for 2 weeks.
The invitational is a non-scoring meet, so only individual scores will be kept, not team scores.
Some favorites are Parker; Jessica Drake-Owen, who was sixth in the shot put at the Snake River Open; Brett Guymon, who earned fourth in the 60-meter hurdles in Pocatello; Rebekah Thornely, who finished second in the 3,000-meter at ISU; Mitch Zundel; Sandra Reategui, who earned sixth in the 200-meter in Pocatello, Idaho; and Kristy Guymon.
After their home meet, the Aggies will travel to ISU Saturday for the second time this season for the Idaho State Invitational. There they will compete in a scoring meet against ISU, LBSU and WSU.
Most of the athletes will be going on the road trip, Gensel said. Everybody that is healthy enough to compete will run either Friday and Saturday or Saturday only.
“I’m not concerned about how that team does,” Gensel said. “I’m more concerned about individual improvements and keeping everyone healthy.”
Next weekend will also be spent in Pocatello, Idaho, as the Aggies travel there for the Mountain States Games Feb. 2-3.