The ASU men’s and women’s track and field teams will participate in its second consecutive home meet this weekend when it hosts the Arizona State Invitational at Sun Angel Stadium.
The Sun Devils will face tougher competition than last week’s home meet, with teams such as Purdue, Notre Dame, UA and Georgia expected to be in Tempe.
But the real test will come from Texas A&M, which captured the outdoor championship last season for both the men and women.
Despite the increase in competition, ASU coach Greg Kraft is looking for his athletes to put the work in during practice with results expected toward the end of the season, especially at the Pac-10 Championships.
“We work really hard [at practice] and want to have a good performance,” Kraft said. “We we also want to build a positive momentum.”
There is a good chance the Sun Devils will see some athletes from Texas A&M at outdoor nationals, specifically in the men’s 400-meter dash. The Aggies have juniors
Demetrius Pinder and Tabarie Henry, who placed fifth and sixth, respectively, at indoor nationals two weeks ago. ASU counters with seniors Donald Sanford and Joel Phillip, who are in the upper echelon of quarter-milers in the nation as well.
“I’m very curious to see the open 400,” Kraft said. “It’s going to be a very interesting race, and we could see four athletes in it at the National Championships.”
The men’s 4x400 meter relay should also be a thriller, as the Aggies won the indoor national title in the event earlier this month, while ASU finished eighth.
If Kraft is looking to build momentum on the women’s side, he hopes the middle-distance runners feed off an impressive performance last weekend.
“I’m looking for our mid-distance [women] to create momentum and establish some identity,” Kraft said.
The Sun Devils were led by junior Kari Hardt last week, as she took first in the 800-meter race with a time 2:08.47 — the best mark in the nation so far this season.
Hardt credits her ability to finally stay healthy for her early-season success and is hoping to drop a few more seconds off her time this weekend.
“It’s been nice to be able to be consistent over the past three months with my training,” she said. “I’m hoping to run faster, and I’ll get that chance this weekend.”
The meet starts with the hammer throw at 1 p.m. Friday. Saturday’s action begins with the discus at 10 a.m. The running events start at 4 p.m.
Reach the reporter at eric.l.smith@asu.edu
