FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 14, 2023) – As they finish an indoor season that has seen school, conference, and collegiate records toppled, the Northern Arizona University track & field teams are prepared to be competitive on the national level in the 2023 outdoor season.
Both the men's and women's teams are two-time defending Big Sky Outdoor Champions. Last year, the teams sent a combined 33 athletes to regionals, a program record. Five athletes went on to the NCAA National Championships, with qualifiers
Nico Young and
David Dunlap each returning for the 2023 season.
The Lumberjacks will begin their outdoor season immediately after the NCAA Indoor National Championships. They will travel to Grand Canyon University for the GCU Invitational on Mar. 17-18.
The following weekend they will travel to the Willie Williams Classic at the University of Arizona from Mar. 24-25. They will then head to the University of Texas for the Texas Relays from Mar. 29 through April 1. The same weekend, they will send athletes to the Stanford Invitational at Stanford University.
As they move into April competition, the 'Jacks will split up on the weekend of the 12
th through the 15
th, heading to the Mt. Sac Relays at Mt. San Antonio Community College and the Bryan Clay Invitational at Azusa Pacific University. To close out the month they will head to the Desert Heat Classic at the University of Arizona on April 29.
The Big Sky Outdoor Conference Championships will be held from May 10-13 at the University of Northern Colorado. Last season the teams swept the outdoor conference championships for the sixth time in school history. The women won with a total of 244 points, the most in Big Sky history.
The NCAA West Regional will be held from May 24-27 at Sacramento State University, as NAU aims to qualify a large number of competitors. Those that qualify will then travel to the University of Texas on June 7-10 for the NCAA Outdoor National Championships. Last season, five athletes traveled to the National Championships, with three earning All-American honors. The men earned 12 total points, tying for 23
rd place.
The final competition of the outdoor season will take place July 6-9 at the University of Oregon, as the Lumberjacks hope to have athletes qualify to compete at the USATF Outdoor National Championships.
The Northern Arizona University track & field teams both look forward to continuing competition in the outdoor season and continuing to build upon the success they have already seen in the indoor season.
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