What to know about the Conference USA track and field championships
For the sixth time, the Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships are in El Paso.
The three-day meet starts Friday, ends Sunday night and includes all nine CUSA teams competing for a league title.
When are the Conference USA championships?
The meet begins at 9:30 a.m. Friday with the decathlon and heptathlon. Selected field events begin at 3:30 p.m. Friday, then running preliminaries start at 6 p.m. The 10,000 meters finals are Friday at 8:20 p.m.
The meet continues at 9 a.m. Saturday with the decathlon and heptathlon, field events at 3 p.m. and running preliminaries at 6:30 p.m. Sunday field events begin at noon, running events at 6 p.m. and the meet concludes with the 4x400 relays at 8:50 p.m.
Here is the complete schedule.
Where are the CUSA championships?
All 42 events (21 men's, 21 women's) will be at Kidd Field. The field, constructed as UTEP's football stadium, was built in 1938 and hosted the Sun Bowl until 1963.
It was built for $2,000 and is named after UTEP professor and athletics booster John W. Kidd. The track team has been the primary tenant since the football team moved to the Sun Bowl in 1963.
How much are tickets and where to get them?
A meet pass is $20. Tickets for individual days are $10. They are available at the venue and online.
How to watch
All three days of the meet will be streamed on ESPN+.
Who is coming?
All nine Conference USA teams are coming: UTEP, New Mexico State, Sam Houston State, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, Florida International, Jacksonville State and Liberty.
There is no qualifying for the meet, each team can bring who it wants.
Who is favored?
The Liberty men and women swept the indoor championships and enter this meet as favorites. The UTEP women should be Liberty's main competition.
Who are the top athletes?
Three CUSA athletes are ranked in the top 10 nationally: Western Kentucky high jumper Katie Isenbarger, UTEP javelin thrower Arianne Morais and UTEP 100 runner Neisha Burger.
On the men's side, the race to watch is the 100 where Liberty's Omari Lewis and Louisiana Tech's Heath Rodney Jr. come in ranked 14th and 11th respectively in the nation, .01 seconds apart.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: What to know about the Conference USA track and field championships
