PREVIEW: Track and Field Sends Well-Rested Squad To Georgia Tech Invitational

Friday, April 22

Atlanta, Ga.

All Day

University of North Florida

Georgia Tech Invitational

PREVIEW: Track and Field Sends Well-Rested Squad To Georgia Tech Invitational

4/21/2022 1:30:00 PM | Men's Track, Women's Track

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The North Florida track and field teams look to come off a free weekend well rested and ready to compete when they travel to the Georgia Tech Invitational starting Friday, Apr. 22, in Atlanta, Ga.

The Ospreys had their first weekend off from competition since before the season started on Mar. 18, at UCF. It will be their fifth outdoor meet of the season and the third time this year they will be hosted by a Power Five school.

This will be their last meet on the road before returning home to host back-to-back meets. The annual UNF Invitational will kick off next weekend to wrap up the regular season, while the ASUN Outdoor Championship will also be hosted at the Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium from May 12-14.

LAST TIME OUT

Top Marks at Flames Invitational

Kaley Petrosky hit the 1.55m mark at Lee University on her first attempt in the women's high jump to turn in a seventh-place finish.
Izabelle Hays also cleared the 1.55m mark in her second high jump attempt to finish 11th place at the meet.

Top Times at Flames Invitational

Aidan O'Gorman is on a roll this season after cleaning 30 seconds off his 5000m mark with a second-place time of 14:03.74 that was just under two seconds short of the school record.
Timothy Doyle had an impressive showing in the men's 1500m with a third-place time of 3:49.14.
Nathan Jubran controlled the 10,000m race at Lee clocking in a time of 29:35.56 for a fourth-place finish, while Seth Martinez finished in the top 15 of his collegiate debut for the 10,000m at 30:21.45.
Robert Pedroza clocked a top-five placement in the 800m race with a fast time of 1:53.36.
Mia McLain and Emma Jane Schlageter both had great times in the 1500m race each with top-10 placements at 4:41.
McLain also had a stellar personal-best time in the 3000mS at 11:05.83 to place fourth overall in the event.
Erica Fisher has been a huge impact runner for UNF this outdoor season with her new lifetime best mark of 17:18.00 to place 11th in the 5000m race.

NOTABLE OPPONENTS

The field for the Georgia Tech Invitational will include athletes from 32 different teams, including 15 unattached individuals. Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State and Lipscomb will also be representing the ASUN with four total teams in this meet. Other notable opponents include a few Power Five schools in Georgia, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Clemson, as well as Appalachian State, Belmont, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Middle Tennessee and VCU.

On the men's side, the Ospreys are ranked No. 16 in the South region and No. 5 in the ASUN. Two of the top five teams in the conference will be at the meet in Atlanta this weekend. Georgia is the top-ranked team in the region at No. 4, while Middle Tennessee and Belmont are both top-30 teams.

On the women's side, the Ospreys are ranked No. 34 in the South region, while sitting inside the top-10 teams within the conference. Kennesaw State is the top-ranked team in the conference with Lipscomb right behind them in third at this meet. Georgia and Vanderbilt are both top-12 teams that will be competing this weekend, along with Middle Tennessee and Belmont in the top 25.

PIGG'S THOUGHTS

"Having Easter weekend off was a well-needed break for our kids. We had a good week of practice and we're ready to get back to compete moving into the championship phase of the year. This weekend is a really important meet in regards to that next step. We were working hard and training hard though the first four meets, but now we're to a point where we expect to start seeing improvements.

The Georgia Tech Invitational is a great meet. It's exciting to be in Atlanta and they always put on a good meet with good competition. The kids love this trip, so we're glad to be able to come back to it. We're looking for some cooler weather to run the 5k's and it looks like the weather is going to be ideal. We expect it to be a great meet for us and it's just a really fun time of the year."
-- head coach Jeff Pigg