Central Michigan University Athletics
Track & Field Heads To Toledo
5/2/2018 12:00:00 AM | MTF
SETTING THE SCENE
With the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships looming next weekend, Central Michigan track and field will send a select group of athletes to the Toledo Invitational for final preparations.
The Toledo Invitational is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, May 3-4.
Adverse weather conditions are forecast for both days at the meet, as scattered thunderstorms are expected to begin Wednesday evening and continue overnight into Thursday.
The current forecast predicts the storms will linger in the Toledo area throughout the first day of events, with another band of storms expected to move through overnight on Friday. More stormy weather is possible during competition on Day 2 and is not expected to cease until approximately 2 p.m.
THE COMPETITORS
Comprising the group of 34 Chippewa athletes that will make the three-hour trek to the Ohio border will be 11 distance runners, seven sprinters, four throwers, four hurdlers, three pole-vaulters and two jumpers.
Mikaela Grant (javelin, high jump, 100-meter hurdles), April Micheaux (long jump, 200) and Aaron Taylor (high jump, triple jump) are entered in multiple events to prepare for their respective multi-events competitions at the MAC Championships, which are scheduled for May 10-12 at Buffalo.
CMU hurdler Shane Moffo and sprinter Gabriella Beauvais come into this weekend's meet having posted career-best marks last week at the Louisville Lenny Lyles-Clark Wood Invitational.
Moffo moved up to 60th in the nation in the men110 hurdles after clocking a time of 14.08 seconds in the preliminaries at Louisville. Moffo's 14.08 clocking is the top time in the MAC this season. He followed up with a 14.12 in the final to finish runner-up.
Beauvais won the 400 in a blistering 53.80 to top the MAC Outdoor Performance List and garner the league's Women's Track Athlete of the Week honor. She moved to 76th nationally. Beauvais will not run in the 400 this week, but is instead entered in the 100.
THE OPPOSITION
Along with host Toledo, entries from Michigan and MAC foes Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan headline the field of opponents. Non-Division I programs Central State (Ohio), Defiance (Ohio), Geneva (Pa.), Heidelberg (Ohio) and Macomb Community College round out the list of competing schools.
SCHEDULE
Women's hammer throwers Marissa Dunn and Mara Clark are the only two CMU entrants who will compete on Thursday, as the women's portion of the event will follow the men at 3 p.m.
Both the field and running events will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Friday. Jake Zorn, Mikaela Grant and McKenzie Wieber lead CMU into the javelin completion to kick off the second day's field events, while a pool of six distance women will see the first action in the running events for the Chippewas at 12:20 p.m.
Moffo will defend his No. 1 MAC ranking in the men's 110 hurdles at 12:45 p.m., while surging freshman Jack Dodge will be among four Chippewas in the men's 100 at 1:50. Beauvais will run the women's 100 at 2 p.m.
Friday's action will conclude with the men's and women's 200 at 3:00 and 3:10, respectively.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
The CMU Twitter account: @CMUTrack
Live Results: http://www.cfpitiming.com/liveresults/2018_Outdoor/Toledo_2018/
Players Mentioned
