AUBURN, Ala.—Off to a strong start to the outdoor season, the Auburn track and field team will compete in two meets this weekend, traveling to the Tennessee Relays in Knoxville, Thursday through Saturday, and the Joe Walker Invitational on the campus of Ole Miss, Friday and Saturday.
After starting the season unranked on both men's and women's side, both programs checked in this week at No. 12 nationally according to the USTFCCCA rankings.
The Tigers contingency at the Tennessee Relays will consist of the multi-events along with the throws and vertical jumps athletes. Meanwhile, the group headed to Oxford will feature primarily sprinters, distance and horizontal jumps athletes.
"Things have really started to fall into place. Obviously, we have a lot of work to do, but I like where we're at right now," Auburn head coach Ralph Spry said. "It is going well right now, we've just got to keep building on the momentum. We still have a lot of work to do, but if we continue the course, it lays out the groundwork for a really exciting remainder of the outdoor season."
Auburn's rise in the rankings has been due to strong performances this season in multiple areas. On the women's side, four athletes are ranked in the top 10 nationally, including Presley Weems, who has the nation's top time in the 1500m after breaking the school record in the event last weekend at the Florida Relays. Weems is also ninth in the country at 800m, while in the field events Kylee Carter (javelin throw, third), Kamiya Dendy (high jump, sixth) and Madi Malone (hammer throw, tenth) are check in among the nation's top marks.
On the men's side, four athletes are ranked in the Top 10 nationally. Sprinter Dante Brown is third in the country in the men's 100m dash, while high jumper Dontavious Hill checks in at fifth. Senior Malik Metivier checks in at No. 8 in the country in the 400m hurdles after a strong performance at the Florida Relays. Transfer Nils Fischer is No. 10 in the javelin throw, while teammate Cade Antonucci is No. 11.
Thursday's events at the Tennessee Relays start at 11 a.m. ET with the first half of the women's heptathlon and men's decathlon, with throwing events beginning at 4 p.m. ET. Action for the Joe Walker Invitational will kickoff Friday at noon CT.
Live results for the Tennessee Relays can be found here.