Jade and Kaila Barber

Irish Set To Host Notre Dame Invitational

Jan. 23, 2014

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame track and field teams will host their second home meet of the season Saturday as they welcome Michigan State, Illinois State and Southern Illinois to the Meyo track in the Loftus Sports Center for the annual Notre Dame Invitational.

The meet begins with the field events at 10 a.m. on Saturday with the men’s and women’s long jump. The track events get underway at noon with the women’s 60 m hurdles followed by the men’s.

Although the Irish competed last weekend at the Simmons-Harvey Invitational in Ann Arbor, Mich., head coach Joe Piane says this week marks the start of Notre Dame athletes looking to qualify for the ACC Championships and NCAA Championships.

“There are multiple goals this weekend,” explains Piane. “It’s a scored meet, so we want to do well against Illinois State, Southern Illinois and Michigan State on both the women and the men. And it’s also a great opportunity to qualify for the ACCs.”

At last year’s event, the women took home first place while the men finished in second. Piane says he has high expectations for this weekend but that he also wants to keep the whole season in mind.

“The season is still early for us,” he adds. “What we have to try to manage is that these kids are not getting too ready too soon because the season goes until June. It’s a balancing act.”

Follow @NDXCTF on Twitter or sign up for Irish Alerts to receive the most up-to-date information. Check UND.com for the final results and a full recap of all the action.

–Lauren Chval, Media Relations Assistant

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