Maize & Blue Announces 2016 Schedule
10/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Oct. 28, 2015
• 2016 U-M Women's Track & Field Schedule
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's track and field program announced its 2016 schedule on Wednesday (Oct. 28), featuring a competitive and challenging slate of seven regular-season indoor meets and 11 regular-season outdoor meets, in addition to the Big Ten Championships and NCAA postseasons.
Notre Dame's Meyo Invitational (Feb. 5-6) highlights the indoor season, while trips to Tempe, Arizona, for the Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Challenge (Marcy 25-26) and Durham, North Carolina, for the Battle of the Blues (April 1-2) provide exciting action during the outdoor campaign.
Head coach James Henry stuck to his philosophy in piecing together this year's schedule.
"Overall, we want to give the kids an opportunity to compete as a team and face some adversity in that competition," said Henry. "As we move further into the season, we want our competition to reach a higher level. We look forward to getting our student-athletes to some of the bigger meets this year."
Michigan will begin the season at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, with the GVSU Early Bird Invitational (Dec. 4). After a short break, U-M heads to Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, with the Doug Raymond Invitational (Jan. 9), before consecutive weekend trips to South Bend, Indiana. Next up is Notre Dame's Quad Meet (Jan. 23) and the Meyo Invite (Feb. 5-6) before an early look at the site of the indoor Big Ten Championships in Geneva, Ohio, with the SPIRE Collegiate Invitational (Feb. 12-13).
"As a team, that is our most important meet," said Henry of the trip to SPIRE, "It allows us to get an early look at the facility where the Big Ten competition is hosted and where our kids can get used to the environment and compete together, as a team. That's why it is the most important for us before the conference meet."
The team will return to the SPIRE Institute two weekends later for the Big Ten Indoor Championships (Feb. 26-27), with the NCAA Championships hosted by Samford University coming in another two weeks (March 11-12) in Birmingham, Alabama.
While NCAA qualifiers are competing at Samford, the remainder of the team will be gearing up for the outdoor season with spring break camp the first week of March in Orange Beach, Alabama.
For the second straight year, annual Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Challenge will signify the real beginning of the competitive outdoor season in Tempe, Arizona. There, U-M will help lead the Big Ten as it battles head to head with its rival conference from the west.
"The Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Challenge is a different meet for us. It gives us an opportunity to compete against teams that we normally wouldn't see until the NCAA national meet," Henry explained, "We are always looking forward to seeing new competition, new athletes."
The appeal of an early trip west contributes to the allure of that event for Henry.
"When we get to the spring break part of our season, warm weather is the most important factor," he said.
The Wolverines follow up with the Battle of the Blues, a highly competitive meet between Duke University, the University of North Carolina and U-M that will take place in Durham, North Carolina. This meeting is not only competitive on the track, but in the classroom as well, where all three institutions are academically elite.
"Battle of the Blues will be a special meet for us," Henry said.
"It gives us a chance to compete against teams that excel as both academic and athletic institutions, and it gives us a good measurement to see where we are in comparison to other institutions like that."
After a weekend in California and a trip to Columbus, Ohio, for the Jesse Owens Track and Field Classic, U-M will compete at the Hillsdale, Penn and Drake Relays during the last weekend before May (April 28-30). Two local meets and a distance trip to the Payton Jordan Invitational (May 1) in Palo Alto, California, close out the regular season, and U-M will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, for the Big Ten Outdoor Championships (May 13-15).
Once again, the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds (May 26-28) will be held in Jacksonville, Florida, and the NCAA Championships (June 8, 10) will be hosted by the University of Oregon in Eugene.
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard
