View a slideshow of some athletes to watch this weekend.
The women's track and field team is set to host the annual Brown Invitational on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Brown Stadium. Among the teams competing at the meet will be elite squads from Providence College and Boston College. The meet will also be a good opportunity for Bruno to challenge Ivy League rival Harvard just three weeks before the Heptagonal Championships.
Saturday's invitational will be the first of two home meets during the outdoor season, with the team also returning home to Providence for the Brown Springtime Invitational on May 1, the week before Heps.
The team comes into this weekend's competition hoping to improve upon its 17.5-point win last week at the University of Connecticut Invitational, which the team had used as training for this weekend. Distance Coach Rick Wemple said the team has been training through past meets, like the UConn Invite, in order to perform well this weekend before beginning the final stretch before Heps.
"It has traditionally been a good meet for us, knowing friends and recent graduates will be here to show their support. The team is really eager to compete at home," said Jumps Coach Anne Rothenberg.
In the field events, the Bears are expecting a strong effort from Laura Dudek '07, the defending 2004 Ivy League champion in the javelin. Sarah Groothuis '08, meanwhile, is primed for a big showing after setting personal bests the past two meets, falling only four feet from setting the school record in that event. Indoor Ivy League triple jump champion Brittney Grovey '06 will also compete this Saturday as she prepares to compete for the same title at the outdoor Heps.
In the running events, Anna Willard '06 will make her collegiate debut in the steeplechase. Usually a middle distance runner, Willard has been training for the event for about two weeks. After racing in the 1,500 meters the past two meets, Michol Monaghan '07 will race the 5,000 meters, an event in which she scored points for the team at this past indoor Heptagonal Championships.
Already ranked second in the Ivy League in the 100-meter hurdles after the squad's opening outdoor meet in Florida, Fara Kitton '05 hopes to improve her personal best times in both that event and the 400-meter hurdles. Jaylon White '05 also held the seventh spot in Ivy League rankings for the 100 meters after the University of South Florida meet. She will compete in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes this weekend.
With the Bears facing such a multitude of competitive teams on their home turf this Saturday, Throws Coach Michele Eisenreich said she simply hopes the entire team will "continue to improve and be competitive."
