AUBURN, Ala.—The Auburn indoor track and field team will open the 2020 season on Friday at the UAB Blazer Invitational at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham. The meet will start at 9 a.m. CT with the men's shot put, while the running events will begin at 10:45 a.m. with the 5,000m run.
"We're really excited to get the season started," Auburn head coach Ralph Spry said, who is entering his 23rd season at the helm of the program. "This meet gives us a starting point. We'll get after it and see what happens. We're going to go out there, compete hard, run and contest."
Auburn will have 19 men and 17 women competing in the opener. The Tigers will be led by returning All-American Madi Malone who had a record-setting freshman season in 2019 for Auburn.
"We've got a much more balanced women's team this year than we even had last year. We've got a lot of good distance runners returning with a good batch of throwers," Spry said. "Last year Madi was the SEC freshman field athlete of the year indoors and outdoors and had a tremendous season. She's the kind where every time she competes you're expecting big numbers. We're excited for her to get going. Her getting out there and leading the way gives some calm to the younger group."
Friday's meet will feature the debut of 14 newcomers, competing for the first time in an Auburn uniform.
"On the men's side, we're going to really be depending on our sprints. That's really going to be our main thing," Spry said. "We have some sprinters that are really talented. I think that group will come together as the season goes in."
Live results from the Blazer Invitational can be found at: https://xpresstiming.com/Live/2020/Indoor/UAB1/.