The Warm-Up Lap: Frosh Sensations Are Center Stage at National Meets of the Week

NEW ORLEANS – Oregon’s Edward Cheserek and Baylor’s Trayvon Bromell are both frosh sensations. They are both in the midst of historic campaigns. They are both already the men to beat in their respective events.

If that’s not enough, they are both headlining this week’s USTFCCCA Division I National Meets of the Week.

Cheserek, who already has three times as many NCAA individual titles (three) as completed semesters at Oregon (one), will make his outdoor debut for the Ducks at the Stanford Invitational at 10,000 meters.

Bromell, the collegiate leader at both 100 and 200 meters who equaled the 10.01 100-meters World Junior Record last weekend, will look to claim the all-time mark outright at the Florida Relays. Brommell is the 2014 world leader at 100 meters, and he tops the list of 2014 U20 collegiate bests at both 100 and 200 meters.

Even though that dynamic duo will dominate the headlines heading into their respective meets this weekend, they are simply the tip of the iceberg.

Stanford will feature a number of top-flight distance runners opening up their seasons, with nationally ranked teams aplenty. Both the No. 1 Arkansas men and Texas A&M women will suit up, along with 13 other top-25 DI women’s teams and 12 more top-25 men’s squads.

Among those teams are the defending indoor champion No. 2 women and No. 4 men of Oregon, and the defending co-national champion No. 2 Texas A&M men.

Sprints, hurdles and relays take center stage in Florida, where eight nationally-ranked men’s teams and seven more top-25 women’s programs are slated to compete. No. 4 Florida, No. 5 Kentucky, No. 6 Georgia and No. 7 Southern California will each be represented on the women’s side, while a Sunshine State rivalry between defending co-national champion No. 2 Florida and No. 5 Florida State is on tap in the men’s competition.

Division II’s defending outdoor champions are also in the field with the Saint Augustine’s men and the Academy of Art women.

More information on both meets, as well as the Division II and III National Meets of the Week (keep reading for those) and all the other meets mentioned here, can be found on the USTFCCCA InfoZone Meets This Weekend page.

While qualifying marks are the main goal at Florida and Stanford, team competition is the focus elsewhere around the nation. Oregon and Arizona will square off in a dual meet, while LSU will host its annual Battle on the Bayou with Kansas, UCLA, Mississippi State and Ohio State. Kansas’ women are the defending national women’s champions.

The West Coast is the site of this weekend’s best Division II meets, including the Angelo State David Noble Relays: this week’s Division II National Meet of the Week.

Both the men’s and women’s competitions feature multiple top-10 teams in Texas A&M Kingsville (No. 2 men, No. 7 women) and Angelo State (No. 3 women, No. 5 men). Three other top-25 men’s teams (No. 12 Tarleton State, No. 13 West Texas A&M and No. 16 Texas A&M-Commerce) and also the No. 15 West Texas A&M women.

Also of note is the Cal-Nevada Championships at UC San Diego, which includes four top-25 teams in DII among a host of other top DI and DIII programs.

Division III’s National Meet of the Week resides in La Crosse, Wis., where the defending outdoor champion No. 1 UWL men and the No. 1 UWL women open up their 2014 outdoor campaigns hosting the Ashton May Invitational. Providing the early-season challenge for the UWL men is in-state rival No. 2 UW-Eau Claire.

Also competing are the No. 20 UW-Stout men and the No. 25 UW-Eau Claire women.

Another hotbed for Division III action is the Princeton Sam Howell Invitational, where the No. 3 Rowan women are in action along with No. 11 Salisbury and five more top-25 men’s teams.

To find out how/when to watch these meets and more online, as well as where each NCAA divisions’ top 10 teams are in action this weekend, check out the details below.

USTFCCCA InfoZone: Broadcast Schedule

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Friday, April 4, 2014

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Top-Ranked Teams In Action