Track and Field begins 2018 Season in Late February
IRVING, Texas – The University of Dallas track and field team has finalized its 2018 schedule. Under the leadership of fourth-year head coach Matt Barber, the Crusaders have seven competitions on the docket this spring. The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Championships headline the schedule with the two-day event being hosted April 27th-28th by Texas Lutheran University.
Some of the meets will be familiar for Dallas, with four on the men's side and three on the women's side that were competed in last season. The women's track and field team have one varying competition in early April, which will be the Smith College Invitational in Northampton, Massachusetts, on April 7th.
Dallas participates in the Trinity Open for its season opener on February 24th. There are three meets in March, with the Marc Randle Classic kicking things off on the 2nd in Tyler. After a bit of a break, the teams resume competition with a busy stretch that features four consecutive weekends.
On March 23rd, the long span of meets starts with the War Hawk Classic hosted by McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. The month concludes with a new two-day competion hosted by Southern Arkansas, the 2nd Annual Dan Veach Invitational.
Apr. 7th has the team's splitting up, with the women's team going to New England, while the men's team will race in the TLU Bulldog Relays. Senior Grace Conti has lettered three seasons for the Crusaders and will be able to have a meet near her hometown in Boxford. The men's meet is a relays only meet that has been regularly attended by Dallas the past couple years.
The four-weekend span of competitions concludes on the Apr. 14th with both teams going to Commerce, Texas, for the East Texas Invitational. NCAA Division II Texas A&M-Commerce will be the host institution for that final tune-up before the Conference Championships.
In 2016, Texas Lutheran was the site of the SCAC Championships. Last season, Trinity University was the host. Dallas had throwers Marcos Carmona and Diana Hassink each set school records in the Hammer Throw. Hassink also claimed 2nd in the Shot Put during her debut season.
Fans can keep up with the latest news and results on udallasathletics.com.