DePaul Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Announces 2023-24 Schedule
10/23/2023 4:52:00 PM | TRACK AND FIELD
The Blue Demons host three Indoor Meets this Season
CHICAGO – DePaul track and field announced their 2023-24 schedule, Monday afternoon. The schedule features three indoor home meets hosted by the Blue Demons, including the Indoor BIG EAST Championships which will take place at Gatley Park for the third year in a row.
"This year's indoor competition schedule is heavily weighted toward local/regional meets with our team spending much of the season at the Dr. Conrad Worrill Track & Field Center at Gately Park," said head coach Dave Dopek. "The five weekends that we will spend at Gately should net quality performances, as this facility has proven to be one of the fastest tracks in the Midwest. When we are not at Gately, we will compete at Notre Dame. We will be there for our fall track season opener, as well as for the long-standing Meyo Invitational. We have competed at the Meyo Invitational for each of the 33 years that I have been at DePaul."
The Blue Demons kick off the indoor season with the Blue and Gold Invite at Notre Dame, followed by the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in Boston, Mass. On Dec. 8th, the Blue Demons host their third annual Blue Demon Holiday Classic, before participating in the Badger Midwest Invite, hosted by Wisconsin.
DePaul heads back to South Bend, Ind. for the Notre Dame Invitational before hosting their second annual Blue Demon Alumni Classic, on Jan. 26 and Jan. 27. The Blue Demons make their third trip to Notre Dame for the Mayo Invitational, then head home to finish off the regular season with the Windy City Rumble and the Badger Windy City Invitational.
The Blue Demons start the indoor track and field postseason at the BIG EAST Indoor Conference Championships, Feb. 23 and Feb. 24 at Gatley Park, before the NCAA Indoor National Championships take place in Boston, Mass. on Mar. 8 and 9.
"In summary, the Third Annual Blue Demon Holiday Classic will feature a number of Division 1 teams from the Chicagoland area," said Dopek. "The Blue Demon Alumni Classic will be a two-day meet this year, featuring a senior recognition day, alumni celebration and Saturday afternoon of premiere sections of competition Lastly, we will host the Big East Indoor Championships at Gately for the third year."
The Blue Demons start their outdoor track and field season with the Black and Gold UCF Invitational in Orlando, Fla. March 15-16. DePaul then heads to the Texas Relays before spending time in California for the Stanford Invitational and the Bryan Clay Invitational respectively.
"Our outdoor schedule is reminiscent of years long past, as we start the season chasing weather and regional caliber performances in Florida, Texas and California. If we expect to have a large presence at the NCAA championships this year, we will need to take advantage of the early portion of this schedule and perform at a high level at these meets. As the calendar turns to April, we will make the shift to more regional and full team competitions, in preparation for our conference championships, in Philadelphia, toward the beginning of May. We will look to close our season on a high note at the NCAA Preliminary Rounds, the NCAA Final Rounds and the 2024 USATF Olympic Trials."
DePaul heads back to Illinois for the Gary Weineke Memorial in Champaign on Apr. 13, before the team travels to Terre Haute, Ind. for the Gibson Invitational, Apr. 18. The Blue Demons close out their regular season at the Drake Relays on Apr. 24, before heading to Philadelphia, Pa. for the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships on May 9.
The NCAA West Preliminary Rounds are set to take place in Fayetteville, Ark. May 23 before the NCAA Final Rounds in Austin, Texas. The Outdoor US National Team postseason begins on June 6 with the 2024 US Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Ore.
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