By Austin Thomas

Daily Staff Writer

The men’s track team will once again spend the weekend separated.

The throwers and distance runners will travel out west for the Mount Sac Relays in California, while the sprinters will travel to Big 12 rival Kansas for the Kansas Relays.

“For the distance group and throwers group, who were both at home last week, [they] get a chance to travel this weekend out to California and have some great weather and a very high level of competition,” said coach Corey Ihmels.

The California sunshine is something the coaches are looking forward to, but the return of steeplechase runner Hillary Bor also has Ihmels excited about this weekend.

Bor had not yet competed in an outdoor meet this season, but this weekend will mark his return to the track. Bor returns as the fastest steeplechase runner in the nation.

“He’ll run the steeplechase on Thursday night. We took a little bit of downtime after the indoor season and we’ve just started training and revving it back up,” Ihmels said. “We’re just looking to get a regional qualifying time and we don’t need to set the world on fire. We’ve got a lot of time before nationals and he’s really focused in on nationals.”

Along with Bor, Ihmels said there were quite a few other athletes who have a good shot at regionally qualifying this weekend.

“Kiel Uhl is going to run the 5,000, so he can get a regional mark in that,” Ihmels said. “Obviously the throwers that haven’t hit their marks yet, I think they are going to have a good opportunity to hit that. I think Michael Alexander is one guy that I think is ready to hit that mark in the 800 meter … so we’ll just see how things shake out, but I think we’re going to have the opportunity to have a lot of guys hit those marks.”

Zac Brouillette, who has already qualified regionally, is looking for his third school record in three straight meets. Two weeks ago at the Raleigh Relays, Brouillette broke the school record set by Jamie Beyer, a seven-time All-American at Iowa State, in the hammer throw.

Then last weekend, Brouillette broke his own mark in the hammer throw by throwing 195 feet, or 59 meters. Brouillette also holds the indoor weight-throw school record.

This weekend’s meet is also the final tuneup before the Drake Relays next week. Ihmels said it’s another opportunity for competition, and for some great weather. Ihmels also added that this weekend’s meet provides a short turnaround for the team.

“We travel this weekend … we don’t get back ’til Sunday and Drake Relays start on Thursday so it’s a short turnaround, but this is why we train all year, for the opportunity to have all these competitions in a short period of time,” Ihmels said.