ANGOLA, Ind. -- The Trine track and field teams have announced their 2017-18 meet schedule, the teams released today.
The indoor schedule includes three home meets, including the season-opening Sean Brady Conditioner. The season begins Saturday, Dec. 2. The Thunder will once again host the Keith Turner Alumni Invitational Saturday, Jan. 20. Alumni are invited and encouraged to participate in the meet alongside current collegiate student-athletes. More information on the alumni meet will be released at a later date.
The final home meet of the winter is the Don and Riley Zimmer Indoor Classic. For the first time, the meet will include two days of events. Other indoor events include a return trip to the Findlay Open and a road trip to Grand Valley State University for the Mike Lints Alumni Open.
The indoor regular season concludes with the MIAA Indoor Track and Field Championship, scheduled for Feb. 24. The Trine men won the inaugural conference title in 2016 and placed second last year. The women's team placed third last season, a two-spot improvement from its placing in the inaugural MIAA indoor meet.
National qualifiers will travel to the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field National Championship, scheduled for Mar. 9-10 in Birmingham, Ala. Rising senior Kara Eck has won three indoor All-America honors at national meets in her career. Jeffery Barnett earned the first All-American honor of his career at last year's indoor national meet.
The outdoor season opens Mar. 31 with the Hanover Invitational, followed by the Marion Invitational. The Thunder will get two opportunities to compete for titles prior to the MIAA meet with trips to the Indiana Division II Championship and the Indiana Little State Championship. The Little State meet also features NCAA Division II and NAIA competition.
MIAA Field Day, the conference's outdoor championship meet, will be held May 3-4 at Adrian College. The men's team finished as the league runner-up last year, while the women notched a program-best fourth place finish.
The NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field National Championships will be held May 25-26 in LaCrosse, Wis. Trine has had at least one participant in the outdoor national meet every year since 2012.
The complete schedules can be viewed HERE or HERE. Please note that meet times for many meets will be announced at a later date.