The Drake University men's and women's track and field teams open their outdoor season this weekend, March 24-25 at the Arkansas Spring Invitational. Portions of the Bulldogs' season-opening will be streamed on the SEC Network Saturday.
 
Competition for the Bulldogs begins Friday at 3:30 p.m. before resuming Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The Bulldogs will face strong competition from teams including SEC indoor champions Arkansas and Missouri Valley Conference indoor champions, Wichita State. Programs such as Oklahoma State, Tulsa, South Dakota, Missouri State and some of the region's top junior colleges will also challenge the Bulldogs in the season opener. 
 
Drake closed its indoor season nearly a month ago at the MVC Indoor Championships where senior Reed Fischer (Minnetonka, Minn.) claimed the 3,000 and 5,000 meter titles, becoming only the second Bulldog ever to do so. Seniors Johnathan Osifuye (Woodbury, Minn.) and Bas Van Leersum (Zaandam, Netherlands) also earned All-Conference honors at the championships. Osifuye took third in the triple jump while Van Leersum took third in the 400 meters. During the outdoor season, Van Leersum will compete in his primary event, the 400-meter hurdles in which he is the reigning MVC Champion.
 
The women's team also picked up a pair of third-place finishes at the MVC Indoor Championships with junior Taryn Rolle (Nassau, Bahamas) taking third in the triple jump as junior Mary Young (Urbandale, Iowa) finished third in the 60-meter hurdles.
 
Both of the Bulldogs teams rank in the top 151 nationally in the initial U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association outdoor team rankings. The men's team is ranked 95^th in the nation in those rankings while the women check in at 151^st. The Bulldogs' host this weekend, Arkansas, is ranked third in both rankings.
 
Following the Arkansas Spring Invitational, Drake will travel to the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, March 29-Apr. 1.