With less than a month remaining before the Ivy Heptagonals begin, both the women’s and men’s track teams are coming off of strong performances at Cornell’s Easter Weekend Open, and will look to step it up a gear in this weekend’s Bucknell Invitation.   

After participating in the Easter Weekend Open — which only involved local teams like Ithaca College, Syracuse University and RIT — the Red will travel to Bucknell in order to compete against many of the nation’s premier programs.

 “There are a lot of schools that will be participating. Last year Penn State brought its entire team…. I am expecting it to be competitive in all events, which will be different from last week’s meet,” said women’s head coach Lou Duesing.  

Men’s head coach Nathan Taylor seconded Duesing’s opinion, noting the gradual progression of the Red’s competition throughout the outdoor season.   

“We’re further into the season so expectations rise a little bit…. each one of these meets has been a step up from what we’ve done in the previous weeks,” said Taylor.   

Even though the Red will enter the weekend with a competitive mindset, strenuous training over the last two weeks will increase the difficulty to set new personal records. With two-a-days in California over Spring Break, and the ensuing weeks of academic catch up after break, many of Cornell’s athletes will be weary at Bucknell. As a result, the men’s team will rest some of its usual competitors. The cream of the crop?: After great performances during the Easter Weekend Invitational, the men’s and women’s track teams seek to expand their success in the Bucknell Invitational against some of the nation’s top teams. - By: Tina Chou

According to Duesing, “a lot of people are still trying to bounce back from Spring Break…people went into the second meet without rest and then we took the red eye flight back.”  

For the men’s team, Bucknell will provide an opportunity to showcase the Red’s mid distance and distance runners. Coach Taylor will be closely scrutinizing the team’s performance in events such as the 800m, 1500m and 3000m races. Aside from freshman Nick Wade and junior Nate Edelman, the Red’s distance team has not seen a lot of action during season. In addition, the strong field of competition will provide an opportunity for some of Cornell’s younger sprinters to face off against other strong runners.   

“This weekend will be the first time that a number of the mid-distance and distance guys compete. Everyone else has been competing pretty regularly,” said Taylor.   

While the Red has enjoyed favorable weather conditions so far this season, this weekend’s meet may be an exception. With chillier conditions and possible showers projected, conditions may hinder race times. However, on a more positive note, Cornell is unlikely to face the 25mph winds that plagued race times in Ithaca during last weekend. 

But regardless of the atmospheric conditions, Cornell plans to come out strong in its biggest meets so far this season.  

“In all, I’ve been impressed with this group all year. They get up for meets, they get out, and they compete. I certainly expect it to be no different at this meet,” said Duesing.