Indoor Track Heads to Collegiate Invitational
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ALBANY, N.Y. – For the second consecutive week, and the third time this season, the University at Albany indoor track program will travel to the Armory in New York City to compete. This week, the men and women descend upon the Armory Collegiate Invitational, one of the marquee events on the indoor schedule.
The Collegiate Invitational is by far the largest meet the Danes have attended so far, with over 100 colleges and universities fielding squads this weekend. Additionally, the meet fields open competitors and features high school races, so the number of competitors attending the meet over its two days is very high, something UAlbany has yet to experience this season.
“Our athletes are ready for some outstanding performances,” said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Roberto Vives. “We’re competing in this meet to help build confidence in preparation for the Conference Championship. If they can perform well here, they can perform well anywhere.”
The meet is also the first two-day event on the Danes’ schedule, which mirrors the format of the America East Championships. Events are scheduled to kick off at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, February 7 and continue at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 8. The two-day format will prepare the UAlbany athletes for the format of the championship meet, and marks a transition from all prior meets this season which all took place on one day, meaning the recovery procedures post-race are slightly different.
UAlbany is one of a handful of America East squads in the field this weekend. The Danes will see competition from Binghamton, Stony Brook, UMBC, and Vermont. Additionally, the meet has drawn competitors from some of the top programs in the country, such as Arkansas, Wisconsin, Arizona, Alabama, and Mississippi.
“We’re looking for our athletes to compete with some of the best competition in the country, and continue to hit IC4A and ECAC standards. Hopefully we will see an NCAA mark as well,” said Vives. “As for the America East squads we will certainly be keeping an eye on them, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses.”
Anyone who has competed at the Armory before knows that the warmup situation is less than ideal, and becomes more difficult as the meets get bigger and field more athletes. Learning the idiosyncrasies of the facility is important for the athletes to ensure they prepare themselves properly for their races this weekend and further down the road.
“A big meet like this helps build a familiarity with the Armory, which will host the America East Championship this year,” said Vives. “Our kids will be ready for Conference. The Armory is now becoming like our home away from home.”
