HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University track & field teams will return to action this weekend at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational. The Norse have been frequent competitors in the annual meet hosted by the University of Cincinnati, which helps kick start the outdoor track season.
"This is going to be a mid-range meet with a lot of local schools from the Ohio area," said head coach
Steve Kruse. "There is going to be some good competition here and even the non-Division I teams are good."
The outdoor season for the Norse began on March 13 at the Bulls Invitational. The throwers on the men's side got off to an excellent start. Newcomers
Michael Leone,
Danny Keller,
Jess Adamson and
Banon Swartz were exceptional during the indoor season, and the group appears to be hitting their stride as outdoor begins. Leone shattered the school record in the hammer throw at 39.27 meters, and Swartz took the headlines in the discus with a school record-setting throw of 39.04 meters.
"This is one of the reasons why we have the number of throwers we do," said Kruse. "Each guy has a specialty. Not only do they challenge each other but they help each other in each event."
The brightest star on Kruse's team this season has without question been
J.J. Webber. After a dominating performance at the A-Sun Indoor Championships, Webber took things to another level in Tampa, Fla. He claimed two event victories in the 1500-meter and 3000-meter races, and he was named Atlantic Sun Track Athlete of the Week following the weekend.
"It's still early, and we have a lot of guys in the steeplechase this weekend," said Kruse. "J.J. is only in the 1500-meter this week, so we are laying him low. Most of our guys are just doing one event and only a few are doubling down."
The women's team will return to full strength at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational.
Emily Grubb was the standout performer for the women in Tampa as she finished second in the triple jump with a mark of 11.16 meters. She broke her own school record in the process.
"A lot of our women will be competing for the first time in outdoor," said Kruse. "A lot of them really needed the rest. It has been a month since the conference indoor championships. The field events are going to be rough with the weather forecasted for Saturday. We are anxious to see how they respond."
The two-day Oliver Nikoloff begins on Friday, March 28. Meet results will be posted to nkunorse.com once they become available. For updates on the NKU track & field teams during the season, follow @NKUNorseXCTF on Twitter.
