The men's track team will load two separate buses this weekend and head in two separate directions. Part of the team will head south to Knoxville, Tenn., for the Sea Ray Relays, and the remaining athletes will travel to Oxford, Ohio, for the Miami Invitational.
Head coach Jim Sprecher will go to Knoxville with a group consisting mainly of sprinters. Sprecher will also take All-American thrower Zach Riley.
"The Sea Ray Relays is traditionally one of the better relay meets in the country," Sprecher said, "and the number of relay meets offered each year are limited. Whenever you have these opportunities, you want to take advantage of that."
Relay meets differ from normal meets because there are eight relay races, six more than the usual. The Cardinals will compete in three of those eight races -- the 4x100-meter relay, the 4x200, and the 4x400.
"Relays reflect team strength, balance and depth," Sprecher said. "Everywhere I have been, we've had great relay teams."
The 27 remaining athletes will compete in Oxford. The Miami Invitational is the only scored outdoor meet in which the Cardinals participate before the Mid-American Conference tournament in mid-May.
Ball State's group of athletes at Miami will consist mainly of distance runners and field athletes. The majority of the sprinters and hurdlers will be at the Sea Rays.
Sprecher also said the team will be helped by the presence of thrower Scott Starost and Brian Troxell. Troxell was the MAC champion in the javelin in the 2001 season.
"The only area we will be a little thin in [at Oxford] is the sprints," Sprecher said. "We will have guys in those events, but we won't be as deep as usual."
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