Valparaiso University will be hosting the 2016 Horizon League Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend – Friday, May 6 through Sunday, May 8 – at the Warren G. Hoger Track and the Eastgate Throws Complex.

The meet starts Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. with the first half of the multi events, while the field events kick off at 2 p.m. with the men’s pole vault. The 10K will be contested Friday evening beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday’s action begins at 9 a.m. with the conclusion of the multi events. Field events Saturday start at 3 p.m. with the men’s discus, the men’s long jump and the women’s high jump, while the track events Saturday begin at 4 p.m. with the prelims of the 110m hurdles. Sunday’s competition starts at 10 a.m. with the men’s hammer throw and the women’s triple jump, while track action starts at 11 a.m. with the 4x100m relay.

Tickets will be available all three days, and are good for both competition sites. Single-day passes are $10 each, while an all-championship pass costs $20. Students at Horizon League institutions will be admitted free of charge, as will children five years of age and younger.

Leading the way into the Horizon League Outdoor Championships are a trio of Crusaders who lead the league outdoors in their respective events. Junior Liz Bloy has posted the league’s top time this season in both the 1,500m run and the 3,000m steeplechase, while senior Heather Mende leads all league athletes outdoors in the javelin throw. On the men’s side, sophomore Alexander Watson has recorded the league’s top height this spring in the pole vault.

Other top performers on the women’s side this season include freshman Abby Jankowski, who ranks third in the league in the discus throw, and senior Sarah Peters, who enters the championships seeded fourth in the pole vault. On the track, sophomore Hannah Reynard ranks fifth among league runners in the 400m hurdles.

On the men’s side, senior Jacob Smutz enters the championship meet third in the league in the hammer throw and fourth in the discus throw. The Crusaders also boast a pair of the league’s top-five marks this spring in the javelin throw, as senior Elijah Owen ranks fourth and freshman Andrew McKissick fifth.

Sophomore Johnathon Heagy is fifth in the high jump entering this weekend’s meet. On the track, junior Jeru Lollis is tied for the fourth-fastest time this spring in the 100m dash, while Valpo’s 4x400m relay squad has posted the league’s third-best time.

Live scoring for all three days of the meet will be available via ValpoAthletics.com.