The men’s track and field team will be competing in multiple places this weekend in preparation for the Drake Relays, but one athlete will be trying to qualify for the big time.

Taylor Sanderson, who is headed to Walnut, Calif., will be trying to make his bid for the decathlon in the NCAA National meet this June.

“My main goal is to get a score that qualifies me for nationals,” Sanderson said over the phone from California. “If I can do that, this weekend would be a success.”

A score ranging from 7,400 to 7,500 points is usually the cut off to qualify for the national meet, Sanderson said. His personal record for the event is a 6,925, but he says he feels like he has improved.

“This season, I feel like I have a shot at [nationals],” he said. “[Wednesday and Thursday], I’ll see if I can [qualify].”

Sanderson competed last week in the Jim Duncan Invitational, setting his personal record in the discus at 143-04 and coming in fifth place. He also competed in the pole vault and came in sixth place with a 4.05-meter jump.

He has broken his personal record outdoors in the 100-meter hurdles as well as his personal record in the 60-meter hurdle, pole vault and shot put indoors. But more importantly, with the Big 12 Conference meet coming up in a month, this weekend can serve as a measuring stick pace-wise.

“This weekend will be a good test to see where I’m at,” Sanderson said.

The Mt. SAC Relays’ decathlon kicks off April 15 and concludes the following day.