As the Irish look to build off the success of their outdoor opener at the Victor Lopez Invitational in Houston last weekend, the team will split this upcoming weekend and travel to Stanford and Cincinnati for two different meets.
Most of the team will compete in the Stanford Invitational, which is one of the largest early-season invitationals in the country.
"All the events will be represented at Stanford," junior long jumper Logan Renwick said. "This meet is mostly known for being good for distance running. The weather is always good, cool, not too hot. It's always nice in California."
Senior distance runner and All-American Jeremy Rae hopes to take advantage of this as he makes his debut for the outdoor season in the 5000-meter run. Rae missed most of the indoor season due to injury, but is the defending Big East champion in the 1500-meter run. Joining him in the 5000 will be freshman Michael Clevenger.
Fellow All-Americans sophomore Chris Giesting and junior Pat Feeney will renew their friendly rivalry in the 400-meter dash, after placing first and third, respectively, in last week's 200-meter dash.
On the women's side, sophomore All-American Jade Barber and senior Rebecca Tracy will both be doubling, Barber in the 100-meter and the 100-meter hurdles, and Tracy in the 800-meter and the 1500-meter.
Notre Dame's highly ranked 4-by-400-meter squad will also be competing against the nation's best after dominating last week and earning its first victory of the season.
The Irish will face stiff competition at Stanford, going up against not only the best collegiate athletes but also many professional athletes.
"There are a lot of unattached athletes competing at Stanford, and a lot of professionals as well," Renwick said.
At Cincinnati, the Irish have entered almost all of their multi-eventers to give them the chance to compete in a full heptathlon or decathlon early in the season.
"It's one of our only meets that has full multi-events before Big East [championships]," Renwick said. "It's a chance for them to compete in their true event."
The multi-eventers are led by seniors Ted Glasnow and Dean Odegard, both of whom are all-Big East performers.
Despite splitting up, the Irish only have one goal as a team.
"We just want to set off the outdoor season right," Renwick said. "We want to peak at the conference championship and we hope to win the title for both men and women."
The Irish will compete at both the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., and the Oliver Nikolof Open in Cincinnati on March 29 and 30.
Contact Greg Hadley at ghadley@nd.edu
