Indoor Track Makes First Trip To The Armory
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ALBANY, N.Y. – At this point last season, the University at Albany indoor track program was preparing to make its third trip in five meets to the Armory in New York City. This year, due to changes in the coaches' approach to the season and schedule reshuffling, the Great Danes' third overall meet will mark their first visit to the Armory. What was once the Armory Collegiate Invitational is now the Armory Track Invitational, after a revision to the meet format occurring during the offseason.
“The new format gives our student-athletes a better chance to qualify for finals, and to score,” said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Roberto Vives. “While I'm not concerned with overall team score, it would be nice if we came out as one of the top mid-major programs out of this meet.”
UAlbany's schedule last year featured a home meet at the Armory, followed by the Columbia Invitational the week after, also at the Armory. The Collegiate Invitational was held the week after the Columbia Invitational, again at the Armory. This year, the retooled Collegiate Invitational has been pushed up a week, taking the spot of the Columbia Invitational. As with last year, this meet is the first two-day event on the Great Danes' schedule, which helps in preparations for conference championships, which will also be held at the Armory.
“This is the first time we're doing a two-day meet this season,” said Vives, “which will help the student-athletes experience a little bit of what conference championships will be like. And the Armory itself is like a home away from home for us. We are one of the few schools outside the metropolitan area who have a banner in the facility, and many of our recruits come from the metropolitan area. And many of those who don't have competed at the Armory multiple times in high school for championship meets. So there is a familiarity and a comfort for us about this facility.”
The Armory Track Invitational is a parsing down of the former Collegiate Invitational, and is now serving the purpose of acting as a season preview for later events at the Armory, particularly the Millrose Games which will take place in two weeks. Collegiate used to draw over 100 collegiate teams from across the country, including a high number of elite college squads from the Power 5 conferences. Now, the field has been trimmed to just over 70 squads, with a smaller number of Power 5 schools making the trip.
“The meet will still have the quality up front,” Vives said, “because we'll see teams like Clemson and South Carolina and Arizona, but behind the front group the meet should be more open.”
The new meet still features high school athletes in addition to the collegiate competitors, and has added a greater emphasis on elite and professional races. World-class athletes including Galen Rupp and Mary Cain will highlight the meet, as well as a men's invitational distance medley relay that includes teams from the United States and Kenya.
“I tell the student-athletes to not be in awe of the elite college teams,” Vives said. “Rather, I want them to take the view that our program is progressing to that point. But we also get to see the pros run, the next level beyond college, which is exciting.”
The Armory Track Invitational begins Friday, January 30 at 10:30 a.m. Saturday events kick off at 8:55 a.m. with the opening ceremony following at 12:45 p.m. NBCSN will be televising the event on Saturday from 4:30 p.m. through 6:30 p.m., a time block which is scheduled to include UAlbany's women's 4x400m relay team. Additionally, a live webcast of Saturday's events can be found at USATF.tv.
