After a record-setting end to the indoor season, the track & field team is making its mark as the outdoor season kicks off. 

The change in season means a lot of competition changes – more than just competing out in the sun. 

To begin, the track will change from a 200-meter banked track to a 400-meter track. Also, some events shift in the new season, with others added. 

On the track, the 60-meter sprint and 60-meter hurdles are replaced with 100-meter formats, with the men’s hurdles set at 110 meters. Additionally, the outdoor season also hosts the addition of the 3000-meter steeplechase and the 10,000-meter run. 

In the field, the weight throw will be left behind with the indoor season. In its place, discus, hammer, and javelin will be added to the schedule. 

Assistant coach Nathan Ott, who specializes in the throwing events, said that changing seasons is always an exciting time for the team. 

“It’s been good to kind of get indoor out of the way so that you can focus on your big primary events like discus and hammer,” Ott said. 

After competing in the WAC Indoor Championships at the end of February, the team will now change gears mentally. Rather than preparing for a championship that’s right around the corner, the team is looking for results to qualify for events farther along in the season. Coach Ott said it goes from a peak championship mentality to more of a preseason feel. 

“It’s a mix, you want to reset and build up again, but also we’ve got to get some results if we want to qualify for some of the meets later in the outdoor season,” Ott said. 

The first of these events is the Texas Relays, which is scheduled for early April. Coach Ott said the qualifying cutoff is this weekend, meaning the Wildcats only have one meet to set qualifying times. 

The team’s next meet is the Wes Kittley Invitational. The meet will take place at Elmer Gray Stadium and is the only home meet for the Wildcats all season. 

“I think you get a better performance out of that, for the most part, at home field advantage,” Ott said. “We don’t get that very often in track, so we want to make sure we take advantage of that.”

The Invitational will begin at 12:30 p.m. Friday at Elmer Gray Stadium with events running through approximately 4:45 p.m. Saturday.