March 18, 2010
Horned Frog Invitational Schedule and Heat Sheets 
Live Stats
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - After wrapping up the indoor season with a pair of All-America honors from seniors Angela Bizzarri and Aja Evans, the Illinois women's track and field team transitions into the outdoor season at this weekend's Horned Frog Invitational, hosted by Texas Christian University. The Illini will compete at the Lowden Track and Field Complex in Fort Worth, Texas on Friday, March 19, beginning at 1 p.m.
"We are looking forward to getting outside and beginning the outdoor season," head coach Tonja Buford-Bailey said. "After the meet, we are planning to stay down there and continue training, so we can build momentum heading into the season."
A week after nearly qualifying for the finals in the 60m hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships, junior Tamika Robinson opens up her outdoor season in the 100m hurdles along with the 200m on Friday. Sophomores Latoya Griffith and Jayla McArthur are both scheduled to run the 400m hurdles, and four Illini will compete in the field events. Evans will take part in the discus and shot put while freshmen Elizabeth Eitzen and Maria Scheet and junior Kaitlin Vicari will participate in the pole vault.
Live stats can be found on fightingillini.com along with full results and a recap after the meet. The Illini will continue to train down in Texas during the spring break week and will have next weekend off. Their next meet will be the Mike Poehlein Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind., on April 3.
NCAA Outdoor Championships Format Update
This season, the NCAA has eliminated the four-region system from the past seven years, meaning the championships will have a brand new format. Instead of a hard-line performance standard to qualify, an absolute, field-size cut-off per event has been instituted, meaning that season-best rank within the region will overshadow the mark itself. The season will be a constant scoreboard watch, as the top 48 per region, that declare, in each individual event and the top 24 relays per region, that declare, will compete at the preliminary sites.
There are no regional standards to qualify this season, and two preliminary sites have replaced the four regionals. The national championship will technically begin May 27-29 in Austin, Texas and Greensboro, N.C., which will be one continuous meet, held in three locations over two separate weekends and concluding in Eugene, Ore., from June 9-12.
