Emporia, KS – Indian Hills Track and Field will start its outdoor season this weekend at the Emporia State Relays. Over 1,100 athletes and 60 teams have entered into the upcoming event hosted by Emporia State University.

After both the Men's and Women's squads placed 10^th at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Indoor Championships, head coach Brent Ewing and the Warriors took advantage of the three weeks between competition by getting  prepared for the grind of the outdoor season. On his hopes for the weekend, Ewing said, "I expect to have some really strong performances and we have been putting in a lot of work for the last three weeks. That's what it's going to take to get us ready for April and May."

For the indoor 800-meter national champion Aliyah Simmons, the 800-meter outdoor school record will have to wait. Another event will likely be left with a new record holder after the weekend though; Simmons will be racing, for the first time in her career, in the 1500-meter run. Wanting to shake her training up, Ewing stated, "Aliyah wanted to give the 1500 a shot and I didn't want her to run an 800 at every meet. On top of that, the school record is easily within reach. So for me, the question is how much will she break it by?" Along with the 1500 event, Simmons will be competing in the 4x400-meter relay.

On the men's side, Aurel Tchanbi, (Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire/College Heleis) the 200-meter indoor runner-up at nationals will continue his journey towards a title in the outdoor 100-meter and 200-meter races. Tchanbi is still in the running after losing the indoor title by just one tenth of a second. According to coach Ewing, he will be competing in the 100-meter and 200-meter races and the 4x100 at Emporia State.

Ewing has high hopes for both programs this weekend. "I anticipate some strong 200's and 400's as well as a strong time with the 4x100 relays."