Track and Field Set for BIG EAST Championships

Saturday, February 27

Ocean Breeze Park Staten Island, N.Y.

All Day

Xavier University

BIG EAST Indoor Championships

Track and Field Set for BIG EAST Championships

02.25.16 | Track and Field

Indoor meet to be held at the newly opened Ocean Breeze Track and Field Athletic Complex

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier track and field is slated to compete at the BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 26-27. The two-day meet is being held at the newly opened Ocean Breeze Track and Field Athletic Complex in Staten Island, N.Y.

Friday's events begin at 9 a.m. with the women's pentathlon and conclude at 3:30 p.m. with the women's distance medley relay. Saturday's events begin at 10:10 a.m. and end with the awards ceremony at 2:30 p.m.

The Xavier men placed fifth at the championship meet last season, up two spots from the 2014 meet - the school's inaugural BIG EAST season. Xavier's women's team placed eighth last year.

Fans can watch the track meet on the BIG EAST Digital Network. Live results will also be available for the event at www.bigeast.com .

MEN'S PREVIEW

Xavier returns all three of its all-conference honorees from the indoor championships a year ago in Nolan Daniels, Russell Platt and Zachary Polk.

Polk is entered into four events this weekend: 60-meter dash, 200-meter dash, long jump and high jump. The sophomore earned BIG EAST Field Athlete of the Week honors twice this year and is the school record holder in long jump.

Polk enters the meet with the best performance in the BIG EAST this season in both the long jump (23' 8.75") and high jump (6' 4.75"), while posting the seventh-best times in the 60-meter (7.03) and 200-meter (22.31) dashes. His mark in the high jump came last weekend at the Buckeye Tune-Up where the sophomore competed in the event for the first time since high school.

Daniels is slated to participate in the 800-meter run and contribute on one of Xavier's relay teams.

Platt, the school record holder in the high jump and 60-meter dash, is schedule to participate in three events: 60-meter dash, 200-meter dash and high jump. He currently ranks second in the BIG EAST in the 60-meter dash (6.94).

Sean Farnan is also expected to help the team earn points this weekend in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes. The freshman sprinter has the sixth quickest time in the 200-meter dash (22.29) entering the meet, while ranking 14th in the 60-meter dash (7.14).

WOMEN'S PREVIEW

The women's squad is expected to score points in the long distance race with BIG EAST Cross Country performers Madeline Britton, Caroline Gosser and Sarah Mazzei hitting the track.

Britton and Gosser are slated to participate in both the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter runs. Britton enters the meet with the seventh best 5,000-meter time (17:06.55), while Gosser's time ranks ninth (17:17.59). Gina Genco and Allison Sinning are also competing in the 5,000-meter run.

Mazzei and Rachael Sollman are entered into the 3,000-meter. In the middle distance events, Meghan Vogel is slated to participate in the one-mile run, while Caterina Karas and Haley Jerabek are entered into the 1,000-meter run.

Other expected top performers include Sydney Lark in the 500-meter dash and Kara Robinson in the 60-meter hurdles. Robinson's seed of 9:03 was the third best in the BIG EAST entering the meet.

Karmen Auble will anchor the field events for the Musketeers after placing third in the pole vault at the indoor championships last season. The sophomore is entered into the pentathlon. Onya Edwards is also slated to participate in the long jump.

THE VENUE

The 2016 BIG EAST Indoor Track & Field Championships Presented by the Jeep Brand will be held at the new state-of-the-art Ocean Breeze Track & Field Athletic Complex, which opened in mid-November 2015. The 135,000 square-foot Ocean Breeze Track & Field Athletic Complex can host a range of competitions from local Staten Island school races, to elite level meets, to large regional events.

The 200 meter Mondo track has eight lanes, six of which can be hydraulically banked up to a 4.5 foot incline for elite competition. Additional field space is designated for two long jump pits, one pole vault, a high jump, and two weight throwing areas. The complex can seat 2,500 spectators and has commanding views of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and even the Freedom Tower in lower Manhattan.