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By Ashley Albertson

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Welcoming a field of six strong track and field programs, the Fighting Irish are slated to host the Notre Dame Invitational Saturday at the Loftus Sports Center. Field events will commence at 10 a.m. (ET), while running events start at noon.

THE BASICS
Name: 2016 Notre Dame Invitational
Location: Notre Dame, Ind. (Loftus Sports Center)
Competing Teams:
Depaul
Louisville
Michigan
Michigan State
Notre Dame
Western Michigan
Schedule of Events:
Field Events
10:00 AM – M Long Jump (1 flight of 8)
W Long Jump to follow (1 flight of 15)
Triple Jump (Men and women combined- 1 flight of 7 women and 5 men)
11:00 AM – W Weight Throw (2 flights of 10 and 11)
M Weight Throw (1 flight of 11)
W Shot Put (1 flight of 16)
M Shot Put (1 flight of 11)
W Pole Vault (1 flight of 15)
M Pole Vault (1 flight of 11)
12:00 PM – M High Jump (1 flight of 8)
W High Jump (1 flight of 10)
Running Events
12:00 PM – W 60m Hurdles trials (3 heats)
12:10 PM – M 60m Hurdles trials (2 heats)
12:18 PM – W 60m trials (3 heats)
12:25 PM – M 60m trials (2 heats)
12:30 PM – W 600m (2 heats)
12:37 PM – M 600m (2 heats)
12:45 PM – W Mile (1 heat)
12:52 PM – M Mile (1 heat)
12:58 PM – W 400m (3 heats)
1:10 PM – M 400m (3 heats)
1:25 PM – W 60m Hurdles Final
1:30 PM – M 60m Hurdles Final
1:35 PM – W 60m Final
1:38 PM – M 60m Final
1:42 PM – W 800m (2 heats)
1:48 PM – M 800m (2 heats)
1:55 PM – W 200m (4 heats)
2:05 PM – M 200m (3 heats)
2:15 PM – W 3000m (1 heat)
2:27 PM – M 3000m (1 heat)
2:40 PM – W 4x400m Relay (2 heats)
2:50 PM – M 4x400m Relay (1 heat)

As the Fighting Irish prepare for the contest, here are the important news and notes to get a head start on the competition:

JOINING THE RANKS
The Irish women’s contingent secured their placement among national contenders, ranking 20th in the indoor preseason poll released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Notre Dame totaled 45.06 points in the season-opening poll, which featured six members of the Atlantic Coast Conference – NC State (15), Duke (16), Miami (17), Notre Dame (20), Clemson (22) and Boston College (24) – in the Top 25.

Six Irish women, along with the 4×400-meter relay and distance medley relay, were ranked among the preseason Top 25 in their respective events. Margaret Bamgbose (No. 6, 400-meter dash) is the highest ranked individual. Notre Dame’s Molly Seidel (No. 7, 5000-meter run) and Danielle Aragon (No. 8, Mile) also stood in the Top 10.

IRISH IN THE INDIVIDUAL TOP 50
Seven Notre Dame student-athletes and one relay team are registered with Top 50 times/marks in Division I competition thus far this season, according to the Track & Field Reporting System (www.TFRRS.org). A look at where the Irish stand:

Women:
Alexis Daugherty – No. 38, 800-meter run
4×400-meter relay (English, Miller, Shead, Bamgbose) – No. 44
Carly Loeffel – No. 12, Indoor Pentathlon

Men:
Alex Groesch – No. 47, 400-meter dash
Patrick O’Connell – No. 19, 800-meter run
Kirk Hansen – No. 28, 800-meter run
Nate Richartz – No. 37, pole vault
Anthony Shivers – No. 32, weight throw

LAST TIME OUT
With a goal to dust off after a holiday hiatus from competition, the Irish took on the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday, Jan. 16 in Madison, Wisconsin. Overall, Notre Dame posted wins in nine events; however, Wisconsin secured a slight 73-62 point advantage in women’s events and an 80-45 point differential in the men’s competition.

Heading into the meet, Notre Dame head coach Alan Turner predicted junior Anthony Shivers would have a standout performance. The Salem, Ohio native did not disappoint, setting a personal-best mark of 19.60 meters in weight throw. Followed by teammate Nick Hauser (17.95), Shivers claimed a dominating first in the event.

“It was definitely a highlight for us,” Turner said. “Anthony (Shivers) had a pretty good winter break in terms of training. He is going to have an awesome year.

“We were not expecting a lot of fireworks from this first meet back,” Turner continued. “However, whenever someone does something well, like Shivers, it a sign for great things for the rest of the year. The effort was there and they had a competitive fire, especially on the women’s side.”

The Notre Dame women flexed their muscle in the 200-meter dash. Fueled by a first-place showing from standout Margaret Bamgbose (24.79), the Irish dominated the podium with sophomore Parker English (24.88) and Kyla Lewis (25.20) earning second and third, respectively.

A RECORD-BREAKING AFFAIR
At last season’s edition of the Notre Dame Invitational, the Irish ran away with wins in four events, while former student-athlete, and current volunteer assistant coach, Chris Giesting set a school record in the 600-meter event. On the women’s side, Notre Dame earned two event victories and 100 points to finish in second place out of five teams. The Irish men added a pair of event wins, placing fifth in the final standings with 57 points.

UP NEXT
Notre Dame is scheduled to send competitors to the Indiana University Relays in Bloomington (Jan. 29-30).

For an inside look into the Notre Dame Cross Country/Track and Field program, follow the Fighting Irish onTwitter,Facebook andInstagram.

-ND-

Ashley Albertson, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, joined the Fighting Irish athletics communications team in August of 2015 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame men’s basketball, men’s lacrosse and cross country/track and field programs. Albertson is a 2013 graduate of The Ohio State University, where she also earned her master’s degree in 2014.