DAYTON – The University of Dayton track and field will be taking a two-day trip to Bloomington, Indiana to compete at the Indiana Invitational. Although it will be the first two-day meet of the season for the Flyers, it is not unfamiliar territory. The Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse has been the home away from home for the Flyers as they have competed there every year this time of the season.

LAST WEEKEND'S STANDOUTS

The Flyers started 2024 with multiple PRs at the Falcon Early Bird Open in Bowling Green, Ohio, and the Wolverine Invitational in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Last Friday, Grace Homan took first place in the shot put at Bowling Green, with a season debut of 14.30m. On Saturday, at Michigan, Jayla Pruitt tied the school record and took first place with an 11.86m PR in the triple jump. Jadyn Haywood also had a record day running a PR and the third fastest time (7.55 seconds) in school history for the 60m. She was the high-finishing collegian in both the 60m and the 200m, where she ran another PR (24.69 seconds). Lauren Santiago also ran a season-best time of 58.58 seconds in the 400m to take third place in Michigan.

A LOOK AT INDIANA

The Flyers are coming off of a weekend where they competed in a Big 10 environment, and they are well-prepared for the competition at hand this weekend. Homan will look to make an impact in the shot put after competing at Bowling Green and finishing in first place. For the runners, they will look to take advantage of the opportunity to run on a 200m banked track, similar to what they will run on at the A-10 Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach. 

Two of the Flyer newcomers, Anna Kessler and Kendall Johnson, are no strangers to the 200m dash. Kessler ran for William and Mary for two years and already made her mark on the Flyers' relay team when she set the school record for the 4x200m relay (1:40.19) at the Wittenberg Tiger Opener. Last week, Johnson finished the 200m dash less than a second behind her high school PR. That PR of 24.54 seconds would sit in the top-five 200m times in the University of Dayton history. Also, Johnson will be making her long jump collegiate debut this weekend. The Booker T. Washington High School alum set a PR of 5.78m, which is better than any mark on the Dayton record books.

COACH'S QUOTE

When discussing how the freshmen may perform when they make their debuts in new events on the college level, Associate Head Coach Aaron Gordon said "We as coaches expect to see the freshman feel a little more comfortable during the meet as well as being more confident in their races. As coaches, we just want them to go out and focus on their individual progressions and executing their race strategies. We look forward to seeing them grow week-in and week-out as the season progresses."

Check out the links above to follow along with the Flyers at the Indiana Invitational!