NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State men's and women's track & field teams have unveiled their competition schedule for the 2018-19 campaign, announced Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Jeff Bovee Friday.
The schedule features eight indoor meets and nine outdoor meets, all of which lead up to the Missouri Valley Conference and NCAA Championships at the conclusion of each season. The Redbirds will flock to meets near and far, competing in nine different states over the course of the indoor and outdoor seasons. This presents the perfect opportunity to catch the reigning MVC Track & Field and Cross Country Program of the Year in action this season.
The indoor slate will open on Dec. 7-8 when the 'Birds travel to Iowa City to compete against the Iowa Hawkeyes. After this, ISU will compete in a variety of meets in which they are familiar, beginning with the annual Double Dual against Indiana State at Rose Hulman on Jan. 12, 2019. The Redbirds will look to claim the Coughlin-Malloy Cup for the second-straight year, after winning it for the first time since 2006 last season.
Other meets that the Redbirds will compete in include the Notre Dame Invitational on Jan. 19 (which the ISU men won last year) and the prestigious Meyo Invite on Feb. 1-2, both of which ISU participated in last season. The indoor season will also see the 'Birds travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to compete in Vanderbilt's Music City Invite on Feb. 8-9, and select student-athletes will partake in the Iowa State Invite that same weekend.
The indoor season will commence on Feb. 23-24 with the MVC Indoor Championship, hosted by Northern Iowa. The 'Birds will look to defend their 2018 indoor titles, after sweeping the competition at the 2018 Valley Championships. Qualifying student-athletes will move on to compete in the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship in Birmingham, Alabama on March 8-9.
The outdoor campaign includes a variety of meets in which the Redbirds did not compete last season. These competitions include the Ole Miss Classic on March 29-30, the Tennessee Relays on April 11-13, and Indiana State's Pacesetter Invitational on April 19-20.
One of the biggest highlights of the outdoor schedule is undoubtedly the annual Redbird Invite, which will take place in Normal, Illinois on April 5-6. This is the lone chance to catch the 'Birds in action on their home track during the 2018-19 season.
All of these meets, and others, lead up to the MVC Outdoor Championship on May 10-12, which will be hosted by Indiana State in Terre Haute, Indiana for the second-consecutive year.
For qualifying student-athletes, the NCAA West Preliminary Round is set for May 23-25 in Sacramento, California. Last season, the Redbirds had a program-high 20 student-athletes advance to this round of competition. The NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship, hosted by Texas, will follow June 5-8 in Austin, Texas.
To view the entire 2018-19 Redbird Track & Field schedule, click here.
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