The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Track and Field Announces 2015-16 Schedule
11/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Three home meets, including the 2016 Conference USA Indoor Championships, highlight the 2015-16 UAB Track and Field schedule, it was announced by Blazer head coach Kurt Thomas on Tuesday.
The Blazers open the indoor season Dec. 4 when UAB takes part in the Birmingham-Southern Icebreaker Meet from the Birmingham CrossPlex.
“We’re always get excited when it’s time to get the track season underway,” Thomas said. “We’ll use the meet at Birmingham-Southern to test our sprinters, jumpers and multi-events after a semester of training. It will be great to shake off the rust and compete in a real meet.”
The schedule continues with two consecutive home meets, as the Blazers host the UAB Blazer Invitational (Jan. 15) and the UAB Vulcan Invitational (Jan. 16) from the Birmingham CrossPlex.
A fourth straight meet in Birmingham will see UAB participate in the Samford Stand Alone Multi (Jan. 20) at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
“We spend a good deal of time competing at the CrossPlex, and we are excited to host our home meets there and compete at one of the best tracks in the country,” Thomas added.
UAB heads on the road for the Vanderbilt Invitational (Jan. 29-30) and the Meyo Invitational (Feb. 5-6) before returning to Birmingham for the Samford Open (Feb. 12-13).
“Our two road trips to Vanderbilt and Notre Dame are always highly competitive,” Thomas said. “We hope to use these meets as a way to sharpen our team as we head into conference championships.”
The Birmingham CrossPlex will then serve as the home for the 2016 C-USA Indoor Championships (Feb. 24-25) as UAB hosts the event for the fifth straight year.
“We’re extremely happy and excited to host the C-USA Championships.” Thomas said.
UAB’s outdoor season begins March 18-19 when the Blazers make the short trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to compete at the Alabama Relays.
“We are opening the outdoor season a week later than normal, but racing at the Alabama Relays will allow us to face some great competition while providing our athletes the opportunity to compete in front of friends and family,” Thomas said.
The Blazers remain on the road the following week (March 25-26) with a trip to Nashville, Tenn., for the Black and Gold Invite hosted by Vanderbilt. The schedule continues with UAB taking part in the Florida Relays (March 31-April 2) and Stanford Invitational (April 1-2).
“Our big weekend will see us send some of our athletes to the Florida Relays and others to California for the Stanford Invitational,” Thomas said. “We always perform well at those two meets and we will look to put our best foot forward against some outstanding competition.”
UAB’s next two meets feature schools from the state of Alabama, as the Blazers travel to Auburn for the Auburn Invitational (April 8-9) and Mobile for the South Alabama Invitational (April 14-16).
The Blazers close the month of April on the road at the Georgia Tech Invitational (April 22-23) and the Mississippi State Jace LaCoste Invite (April 29-30).
“The Georgia Tech Invitational has always been a highly competitive meet for us,” Thomas added. “Our outdoor schedule sets up nicely to prepare us for the Conference USA Outdoor Championships.”
UAB takes a week off before leaving for Murfreesboro, Tenn., for the C-USA Outdoor Championships hosted by Middle Tennessee (May 12-15).
“We like the fact that our fans and families can make the short drive to Middle Tennessee to watch us compete at the C-USA Outdoor Championships,” Thomas said. “I really like our team this year and I think we have a great opportunity to qualify athletes for the NCAA Preliminary meet in Jacksonville, Fla., at the end of May.”
The NCAA Championships will take place June 8-11 from Eugene, Ore.
For more information on UAB track and field, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_TrackXC). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official social media accounts of UAB Athletics on Twitter (@UABAthletics), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UAB.Blazers), on Instagram (@uabathletics) or on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
