The Drake University men's and women's track & field teams are set to begin the 2021 outdoor season this weekend at Drake Stadium with the Blue Oval Invitational Saturday, March 27. The Blue Oval Invitational will be the first outdoor competitions for many student-athletes in nearly two years. The Bulldogs are set to compete against South Dakota State, Iowa State and women's teams from Augustana and Omaha.

Action gets underway Saturday with field events at 1 p.m. and action on the track starting at 2 p.m. There will be no ticket sales or admission to the general public.

The Bulldogs are coming off strong indoor track & field and cross country seasons. The men crowned three Missouri Valley Champions and two additional all-conference performers. The men placed 4^th overall as a team which was the highest finish since 2000. Junior Adam Fogg recently garnered first team All-America honors in the mile with his recent finish at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. On the men's cross-country side, the men placed 3^rd overall on March 3 in Evansville.

The women had one Indoor MVC champion with Yinka Ajayi in the 400 meters. On the women's cross country side, the lady Bulldogs placed third as team which was also the highest finish since 2000. Newly crowned Freshman of the Year, Brooke Mullins, placed seventh overall with teammate Ashlee Siegle close behind in eighth place to earn first team All-Conference honors.
The Blue Oval Invitational is the first of back-to-back home events for the Bulldogs as they host the Jim Duncan Invitational April 9-10.