Complete 2009-10 Schedule
TAMPA - Head coach Warren Bye and the University of South Florida track and field program have released their 2009-10 schedule, with three home meets during the outdoor slate and a host of top-notch invitationals dotting the Bulls' upcoming schedule.
"We are pleased to be hosting three home meets for the 2010 season," said Bye. "It is a great opportunity for our team to compete in front of the home crowd. In addition, it will allow us to showcase our new track and field complex for the second year in a row."
USF will welcome teams from all over the state and the country as the Bulls host three separate meets during the 2009 outdoor season. On March 5, the program will host the USF Open at the USF Track and Field Stadium in the Bulls' first outdoor meet of the year.
After the NCAA Indoor Championships March 12-13, USF will return to the friendly confines of Tampa with the Bulls Invitational. Both home meets will run on Fridays.
The Bulls will also welcome teams to their home track Friday, May 14 with the South Florida Invitational, as schools and individuals look to up their season bests heading into the NCAA Regionals. This will mark the second year in a row USF has hosted three meets after renovations were completed on the stadium in 2008, including the new state-of-the-art Mondo track surface.
USF begins its 2009-10 campaign at the Oiler Invitational Dec. 4-5 in Findley, Ohio. The Bulls will return to the Buckeye state more than a month later when they head to Akron for the Akron Quad Jan. 15. The month of January will also feature trips to the Minnesota Invitational Jan. 23 and the Reebok Invitational in Boston on Jan. 29.
The team will also compete at the Penn State Invitational Feb. 5-6 in preparation for the BIG EAST Indoor Championships Feb. 20-21 in New York. The Bulls will look to improve upon their 10th-place finish on the men's side and their 12th-place women's finish.
The indoor season wraps up with the NCAA Championships.
After hosting two-straight home meets, USF hits the road for the first time during the outdoor season but stays in-state for the FSU Relays March 25-27. The following weekend, USF heads north again on I-75 as the Bulls will compete in the Florida Relays April 2-3 for the fourth year in a row.
The Bulls will make the trek to Texas April 10 when the team runs in the Texas Tech Invitational. A week later, USF will head west again for its annual trip to the LSU Alumni Gold Invitational April 17.
The meet will serve as the last tune-up before the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships April 30-May 2 in Cincinnati. Last year the men finished seventh at the meet and the women took 10th.
The Bulls will begin post-season action in the NCAA Regional May 27-29 in Greensboro, N.C., followed by the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 9-12 in Eugene, Ore. Last season, the Bulls had five qualifiers on the women's side and nine qualifiers in 10 events on the men's side at the NCAA Regional, while graduated senior Errol Blackmon competed at the NCAA Championships in the high jump.
The Bulls finish their outdoor slate with the USA Junior National Championships June 23-26 in Des Moines, Iowa. USF had its best individual finish at this summer's championships, as sophomore Casey Wagner captured the crown in the javelin, while sophomore Jared Thomas took fifth in the discus.
With a strong core of returning upper-class talent and some up-and-coming freshmen added to the roster, the Bulls will look to continue to make strides in 2010.
