With only two meets completed, it is difficult to judge where the Ball State women's track team stands in the outdoor season.
However, this Saturday's Miami Invitational will go a long way in revealing how well the team measures up to top Mid-American Conference schools such as Miami, Ohio and Marshall.
Much of the team's top athletes sat out in last week's Notre Dame Open in order to be rested for Miami this weekend.
"(Notre Dame) was more developmental, but this weekend will be a little tougher," BSU head coach Sue Parks said. "It will give us a better idea of where we stack up."
At the Notre Dame Open, the Cards collected 12 top-five finishes, including a second-place finish by sophomore Bridgett Coleman, who ran the 400-meter hurdles in 1:05.94.
Freshman Stephanie Hamer also had a good showing at Notre Dame in the throwing events; she placed third in the shot put at 12.85 meters and third in the discus throw with a mark of 38.24 meters.
With the extended rest and developmental training provided by the Notre Dame Open, Parks feels the team has had plenty of preparation for what will be its first scored meet of the outdoor season.
"I think for this point in the season, we're ready to take on a scored situation. It'll be a good test for us right now," Parks said.
Miami, who won the event last year, comes in as a team that could very well win the meet. The RedHawks placed second in last year's MAC Outdoor Championships and bring back a team that has a spread of talent across the board.
The competition for the Cardinals will not be limited to Miami, though, as nine teams are slated to compete including nonconference opponents such as Purdue, Butler, Cincinnati and Valparaiso, among others.
Ball State begins action in the Miami Invitational at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Oxford, Ohio.
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