LBSU track and field set to compete in first outdoor meet

Long Beach State track and field will make its outdoor debut Saturday at the Ben Brown Invitational in Fullerton.

The men’s team will be competing for the first time since winning the outdoor Big West Conference Championship last spring, while the women’s team will set out to make a run for the title themselves this year.

Some of the track athletes participating in the meet will be transitioning out of the indoor season. Others will be showcasing their abilities for the first time this year.

Andy Sythe, head coach of track and field, is not expecting anything big out of Saturday’s meet, but has high expectations for the year.

“What we hope to accomplish this weekend is to get a chance to evaluate our team,” Sythe said. “We will slowly progress the program toward our eventual outdoor season goal to win the Big West Championship.”

Sythe also wants to make sure his team will be healthy for the big meets that take place during the end of the season. A lot of athletes will take this weekend off to recover from injuries.

“The three meets that really matter to us are the conference, NCAA Regional and the NCAA Championships,” said Sythe, the men’s 2008 Big West Coach of the Year. “Everything else is geared toward training, preparing and, at times, resting our athletes to set them up for success at future meets.”

Sythe’s men’s team has its eyes on a second consecutive outdoor Big West Championship this season. Although several key athletes graduated last year, the expectations are still high.

Leading the pack for the men will be senior Austin Fowler. He was a 2008 NCAA Regional finalist in the 200-meter and the 400.

Fowler, the sprints captain, will run the 100 and the 200 at the invitational.

“It’s been a good semester in training,” Fowler said. “We expect to qualify for conference and regionals on Saturday.”

On the women’s side, a strong incoming class and a talented group of returning athletes is expected to keep the team on the radar in the Big West.

Senior Jennifer Onyeagbako was ranked in the top-5 in the NCAA in the discus on Track and Field News. She also competed in the discus at the 2007 NCAA Championships.

Onyeagbako is looking forward to beginning the outdoor season with a bang.

“It’s really early in the season and I’m excited to compete,” Onyeagbako said. “I just want to open up well and get a good start.”

The Ben Brown Invitational will take place on March 6 and 7, but LBSU will only compete on Saturday with the Division-I teams. The meet will be hosted by Cal-State Fullerton.