Emory Track & Field to Open the Indoor Season on Friday

The Emory University track and field team will begin their 2009-10 campaign this week, as the Eagles will travel to Clemson, SC for the Roaring Tiger Invitational on Friday, December 4^th.

The meet, hosted by Clemson University, will begin at 5:00 PM on Friday, and will be the Eagles' first and only intercollegiate meet during the 2009 portion of their schedule. The one-day event will consist of a smaller-slate of events, with the 60-meter dash, 60-meter high hurdles, 4x800-meter relay, 500-meter dash, 300-meter dash, mile run and 4x400-meter relay being held on the track, and the weight throw, shot put, long jump, pole vault and high jump in the field.

"The Roaring Tiger Invitational is a great chance to go to a fast track, run against first-rate Division I competition, and to find out where we are," said Emory head coach John Curtin.

Emory's men will look to repeat their successes from just a season ago, when the squad finished first at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Indoor Track and Field Championships.  The Eagles will be returning 10 athletes who earned all-UAA recognition during the indoor season, including the conference's Most Valuable Performer in senior Tyler Faits, and the Rookie of the Year in Ian Francis.

"Coming of the indoor season a year ago, I think our guys are still sky high," said Curtin.  "We have literally everyone back who was a significant contributor [to the UAA Championship], so it makes us feel really good about our prospects."

Meanwhile, while the greatest triumphs from the men's squad came during conference competition in 2009, the women's team saw a number of its members succeed on the national level.  Emory will return senior Mary Crystal Spence and sophomores Alix Dyer and Monique Osigbeme, who were three of the four members from its outdoor all-American 4x100-meter relay team.  In addition, sophomore triple-jumper Lauren Attiah, who participated in both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships last season, will return as well.

"We're very much excited about the women's prospects on the conference level, as well as on the national level this year," said Curtin.  "We're probably as deep in the sprints and hurdles as we have ever been, and we have added a lot of young middle-distance runners."

Curtin, the South/Southeast Women's Head Coach of the Year, will bring back assistant coaches Carl Leviers and Kevin Semanick for the 2010 campaign, both members of the UAA's Men's Indoor Coaching Staff of the Year in 2009, in addition to adding newcomer Ross Smithey.

Following their season-opening meet this weekend, the Eagles will resume their schedule on January 15, 2010 at the Appalachian Open.  Other season highlights include trips to Boston, MA for the BU Valentines Invitational and to New York for the NYU Fasttrack.  The Eagles will return to Boston for the 2010 UAA Championships on March 5^th-6^th, before wrapping up the indoor season with the NCAA Division III Championships in Greencastle, IN from March 12^th-13^th.