St. John's University Athletics
Red Storm Track & Field: Outdoor Schedule Preview
3/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
March 17, 2014
QUEENS, N.Y. - Less than a week removed from the conclusion one of the most successful indoor campaigns in the program's recent history, St. John's head track & field coach Jim Hurt and St. John's Athletics have finalized the Red Storm's outdoor schedule, which features some of the most competitive meets across the country as well as two home events to be held on the University's newly renovated and state-of-the-art DaSilva Memorial Track.
St. John's outdoor opener promises to be an exciting one for all involved as the Red Storm will chase some warm weather and strong early-season marks by traveling to Carolina, Puerto Rico, to compete in the Spring Break Classic on March 22, marking the first time the program will compete outside of the Continental United States. Favorable weather conditions and stiff competition promise to be in the cards the following weekend as well, as St. John's makes the trip to Houston, Texas, on March 28-29 for the Victor Lopez Bayou Classic hosted by Rice University.
"The schedule maximizes our opportunities to challenge for podium positions at the Metropolitan, BIG EAST and ECAC Championships and to qualify a contingent for the NCAA Regional and NCAA Championships," said Hurt. "The two meets in March will offer our sprint and throws units quality warm weather opportunities to put up qualifying marks for our May championships."
Returning East, the Red Storm is set to take part in the always competitive Sam Howell Invitational staged by Princeton University on April 4-5, before seeking to defend its team title at the 2014 Metropolitan Outdoor Championships on April 11-12 in Teaneck, N.J. A possible trip to Walnut, Calif., to chase qualifying times at the Mt. Sac Relays on April 18-19 is next up on the Red Storm's schedule, leading up to April 21 and St. John's first home meet of the season, the SJU Monday Meeting to be held on the University's brand new $1.5 million Regupol track facility. The Red Storm welcomed a number of local colleges and track clubs to last year's home event and claimed eight event wins.
The Red Storm will wrap up the month of April by competing in the 120th Penn Relays, where St. John's set a school record in the 4x200-meter relay in 2013. The Penn Relays, which attracts the brightest starts of all levels of the sport, are scheduled for April 24-26 at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field.
"The Sam Howell meet has become a strong early April competition and is held at the site of the ECAC Championships in May, which will allow our student-athletes to acclimate themselves to the environment," said Hurt. "With three outdoor competitions behind us, we should be ready to defend our outdoor Metropolitan title the second week of April before showcasing the strength of our entire team at the Penn Relays."
On Saturday, May 3, the program will inaugurate the newest addition to its schedule when the Red Storm hosts the SJU Tom Farrell Classic, paying tribute its volunteer assistant coach and one of the most decorated athletes in the University's history. As a St. John's athlete, Farrell set a world record in the 880-yard race in 1965 before winning two NCAA titles and representing the U.S. in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games and 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal in the 800-meter run in the latter.
"On May 3, we are initiating the first annual Tom Farrell Classic to highlight our brand new track & field facility here in Queens," said Hurt. "We hope to build the meet into a major event over the next few years as a way of honoring our seniors and their parents as well as bringing back to the University's campus as many alumni as possible."
Championship season officially gets underway on the weekend of May 10 as the Red Storm heads to Villanova, Pa., for the 2014 BIG EAST Outdoor Championship. St. John's finished fourth in the team standings at this year's indoor conference championship, scoring 100 points, crowning three individual BIG EAST champions and grabbing a relay gold in the 4x400-meter relay to highlight a memorable two days of competition in New York City.
The following weekend, the Red Storm will return to Princeton University for the ECAC Championships on May 16-18. At last year's meet, St. John's set a new school record in the 4x100-meter relay in a fifth-place effort, while the Red Storm's 4x400-meter and 4x800-meter relay teams also enjoyed top-10 finishes.
The NCAA Regional Championships are scheduled for May 29-31 in Jacksonville, Fla., and will serve as the first round of qualifying for the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships to be held June 11-14 on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore. St. John's sent five student-athletes to last season's national outdoor championships as the Red Storm's 4x400-meter relay finished 21st in the country, narrowly missing a school record in a memorable run to historic Hayward Field.
To keep up to date on all team news this indoor season, follow on Twitter @StJohnsXCTF and by using the hashtag #SJUTF. To be added to the St. John's women's track & field fans e-mail list send a message to Edouard.boulat13@stjohns.edu with the subject: "St. John's women's TF e-mail."
