Track and field seperates for weekend in Kentucky and Pennsylvania
Central Michigan track and field will be splitting its squad and competing in two different events this weekend.
A portion of the team will be competing in the Hilltopper Relays on Friday and Saturday, hosted by Western Kentucky in Bowling Green, Ky. The rest of the team will be competing at the Bison Outdoor Classic on Saturday and Sunday hosted by Bucknell University in Lewisville, Pa.
The weather is expected to be friendlier to the competitors this weekend than in the past, as it is expected to be 75 degrees with winds up to 15 mph in Bowling Green. The weather in Lewisville will be 60 degrees with winds of only 5 mph, but there are chances of some precipitation.
This fares much better for pole vaulters, who struggled with harsh winds in the opening of the outdoor season.
The Bison Outdoor Classic is an outdoor non-team-scoring event and is open to invited collegiate teams, clubs and unattached athletes.
Last weekend at the Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invite, the track and field teams only had one first-place winner. Sophomore thrower Devene Brown took first in the discus throw with a mark of 179-feet-3 inches. Brown’s mark broke her previously held program record of 177 feet.
“I was happy that I broke my record last weekend," Brown said, "but (I) am excited to try to break it again."
The first-place finish gives the track and field program 10 first-place finishes on the outdoor season between the first two events.
Central’s competition at the Bison Outdoor Classic will include Bucknell University, whose men’s track and field team are coming off a solid weekend of competition at Zable Stadium and the Dan Stimson Throwing Events Area last Saturday, compiling 101.20 points to claim the team title at the Colonial Relays.
CMU will face tough competition inf Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers' Jessica Ramsey, Elvyonn Bailey and Tomas Guerra all earned Sun Belt Conference players of the week for last weekend’s performances at the Florida Relays.
Ramsey shattered the Sun Belt Conference and WKU record in the shot put last weekend with a throw of 55-feet-7 inches.
Bailey was named the Sun Belt Conference Male Track Athlete of the Week after turning in the nation’s 13th fastest 400-meter dash time with a time of 46.66 seconds.
Guerra's javelin throw was good enough to get third place with a throw of 223-feet-4 inches.
The Chippewas will be dividing up again next weekend at the Jesse Owens Classic at Ohio State University, and the Al Owens Invitational at Grand Valley State University.
