DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University men's and women's track and field teams host the 39th annual Jim Duncan Invitational this weekend, April 10-11, at Drake Stadium.
The annual meet will once again feature collegiate teams from across the Midwest and some of the top high school competitors in the state of Iowa.
The Jim Duncan Invitational starts on Friday evening with field events at 3:30 p.m., followed by the collegiate distance races starting at 5 p.m.
Action resumes Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. with the boys' and girls' long jump while running events start at 9 a.m.
Drake will compete on its home track for the first time this season and the Bulldogs are will certainly cherish the opportunity to compete on the Blue Oval.
“Being home and sleeping in your own bed is a type of normalcy we don't get in track and field,” said Drake head coach Natasha Kaiser-Brown. “That's a big deal and it's fun to be home and run through it in your mind by getting used to running on our track as a competition venue.”
The Bulldogs have posted numerous personal bests through the first two competitions of the outdoor season, however, Kaiser-Brown's pupils will use the Jim Duncan Invitational as an opportunity to tinker with technique.
“This is a meet where we may try to work on some new things,” Kaiser-Brown said. “Whether it's a start, or where they're taking off, this is the last chance to experiment and practice that before Relays.”
Currently, the Bulldogs have recorded 16 individual performances that rank in the top five in the Missouri Valley Conference. This weekend they'll face a field of 22 other collegiate teams on the Blue Oval including Big Four rivals Iowa and Iowa State.
