CU Track Kicks Off 2018 Indoor Schedule With Potts Invite

BOULDER — The Colorado track and field teams will host their first home meet of the 2018 indoor season, the Potts Invitational, Friday and Saturday at CU's Indoor Practice Facility.

Friday's schedule includes several field events — men's and women's weight throw, high jump, pole vault and long jump — beginning at 3 p.m. The weight throw will be contested in Balch Fieldhouse, with the other events in the IPF.

The remainder of the field events will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, with the track events set to start at 1 p.m., all in the IPF.

Since the athletes have been back from their holiday breaks for only about four days, the weekend meet will serve more as a barometer of their fitness level than anything else. Athletes' training over the break is purely on a voluntary basis, meaning some take it more seriously than others.

"We'll see who was naughty or nice over their Christmas break," CU head coach Mark Wetmore said.

One group of Buffs who won't be competing this weekend are all the athletes who ran in the late-November NCAA Cross Country Championships. But the rest of CU's team will be competing this weekend in what have now become the familiar environs of the IPF, including a new group of sprinters and hurdlers.

"Coach (Burke) Bockman has a big contingent of new men," Wetmore said. "Watching the 200 and 400 and the hurdles, fans will see some interesting new talent. A number of them have looked good in training."

In the field events, Wetmore expects to see good results from veterans Elisa Grandemange (throws) and Rajon O'Quinn (high jump), as well as multi-sport veteran Andrew Ghizzone in the pole vault.

The indoor schedule ramps up quickly after this weekend. The Buffs will head to meets at the University of Washington and the Air Force Academy in late January before returning to Boulder for the Colorado Invitational Feb. 1-3. The Colorado Invitational will include teams from Air Force and Colorado State, as well as other regional teams.

After that are meets in Washington, Air Force and Arkansas, all of which will help Wetmore and his assistants determine who will participate in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships (which serves as the conference championships) Feb. 23-24 in Seattle.

"One things leads to another," Wetmore said of the indoor schedule. "If you want to be at our conference meet, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, you have to look pretty good by Feb. 2 and 3."

The indoor season then culminates with the NCAA Championships March 9-10 in College Station, Texas. Last year, the CU women had one of their most successful NCAA indoor meets in program history, winning a pair of event titles and finishing seventh as a team.

Spectator seating will be available in the IPF both days, with no admission charge on Friday. Children 12 and under also have free admission.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu