MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama outdoor track & field team will return to Auburn, Ala. Friday and Saturday for the 2018 War Eagle Invitational. 

Competition begins for field events at 2 p.m. Friday with the men's hammer throw and continues at 11 a.m. Saturday with the women's pole vault. Running events will begin Saturday at noon starting with the women's 4x100m relay.

Six additional student-athletes will participate in the Mt. SAC Relays on the campus of El Camino College in Torrance, Calif. Thursday through Saturday. Competition begins Thursday at 1:30 p.m. with the men's collegiate open hammer throw.    

MEET INFORMATION
Event: 2018 War Eagle Invitational
Dates: April 20-21
Host: Auburn University 
Site: Hutsell-Rosen Track
Meet Information
Live Results

FIELD (20)
Alabama, Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Auburn, Ball State, Chattanooga, Cincinnati, Cornell, Indiana, Jacksonville State, Manhattan College, Middle Tennessee, UMass-Lowell, Ole Miss, South Alabama, Tiffin, Troy, Villanova, Virginia Tech, Yale

MEET INFORMATION
Event: 2018 Mt. SAC Relays
Dates: April 19-21
Host: Mt. SAC Relays Executive Committee 
Site: El Camino College
Meet Information
Live Results

FIELD
The event features more than 600 individual and team entries from high school, collegiate, elite, Paralympic, masters and wheelchair divisions.

NOTES
-Emilie Berge was voted Sun Belt Women's Field Athlete of the Week after recording 5,479 points and finishing second in the Tiger Track Classic heptathlon last weekend. The junior retained her runner-up spot in the all-time USA record books and leads the conference season standings. She is fifth on the NCAA Division I East performance list and has one of the top 15 point totals in the NCAA Division I rankings.
-Rafael Scott completed the Tiger Track Classic men's 100m dash in 10.25 seconds (3.2) to break his own school record set at the South Alabama Jaguar Classic earlier this season. The time is the second-best in the Sun Belt Conference season rankings, ties for 15th in the NCAA Division I East standings and lists among the top-25 in the country. His 200m dash time of 21.54 seconds, also recorded at the Tiger Track Classic, ranks in the top 20 on the conference performance list.    
-Larry Lombard earned 10th in the conference standings with a season-low, 54.24-second time in the men's 400m hurdles.  
-The men's 4x400m relay team completed last weekend's event in 3:17.46. It was the team's best time of the season and is eighth on the league performance list. 
-Taylor Dames has top-two finishes in every women's high jump event she has entered this season, including a 1.75m (05-08.75) mark last weekend which earned her the top spot at the Tiger Track Classic. Her 1.79m (05-10.50) effort at the Jaguar Classic ties for second in school history, second in the Sun Belt Conference season rankings, and 13th on the overall NCAA Division I performance list.  
-Kriszti Szabo and Taylor Young are eighth and 11th, respectively, in the conference triple jump standings. Szabo jumped 11.87m (38-11.50) (2.0) for a top-10 finish in the Tiger Track Classic, while Young recorded a 11.56m (37-11.25) (1.9) mark.
-Caitlyn Dressler is fifth in the conference pole vault standings and among the top 100 in the NCAA regional rankings after a top-five, 3.70m (12-01.50) finish at last weekend's event in Auburn.  
-Sean Collins cleared 5.50m (18-05.00) for the first time this season last weekend. The mark is tied for first in the Sun Belt and is one of the top 10 heights in the NCAA Division I listings.  
-Andrew Allen earned his second consecutive hammer victory with a 59.83m (196-03.50) throw at the Tiger Track Classic.
-Michaela Preachuk tops the conference rankings with a school-record-breaking 61.50m (201-09.25) hammer throw mark from the Florida Relays in March. The throw ranks 10th in the NCAA Division I East and 22nd overall among NCAA Division I student-athletes. The junior has three wins in five events this season and recorded a second-place, 60.27m (197-08.75) finish last weekend at Auburn.
-Senior Jessica Matthews is fifth on the Sun Belt performance list after a season-best javelin throw of 43.08m (141-04.00) at the Tiger Track Classic. 

QUOTES FROM COACH BRUESKE
On the team's efforts and improvements in practice this week… "I thought we had a great week of training." 

On the competition levels in Auburn and California… "We will have a few athletes competing this weekend at Mt. SAC and Auburn, so we are looking for some solid performances at both venues."

On keeping the team focused through the long stretch of the season… "This time of the year there tends to be a lot of distractions. We have stressed to the athletes the importance of staying focused on the two primary tasks at hand, academics and trainings." 

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Finish Line Club, the track and field and cross country specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  All donations to the Finish Line Club go directly to support the South Alabama track and field/cross country programs.  For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/finishlineclub

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