With the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships less than a month away, the Ball State University track and field team is getting a preview this weekend of some of the teams it will face.
The Ball State team will travel to South Bend today for the 21st-annual Meyo Invitational. The two-day competition will take place in the Loftus Sports Center at the University of Notre Dame.
Mid-American Conference opponents Kent State, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan universities are also participating in the event.
Sophomore Katie Johnson said she thinks competing against opponents from stronger conferences throughout the season will help the Cardinals prepare for the conference meet.
"We don't compete against a lot of MAC teams during the season," Johnson said. "The competition is a little better, so we are confident that we can compete with better teams."
Johnson, who runs the 60-meter hurdles for Ball State, finished 14th in last week's Indiana Invitational with a time of 9.1 seconds. Teammate RaJae Marable took ninth place with a time of 8.82 seconds.
Johnson said she and Marable encourage each other during each race.
"We tell each other, 'If you see me making a move, you make a move with me,'" Johnson said. "It doesn't matter who wins as long as we both push each other."
Sophomore Ali Bishel enters today's meet with an added distinction. Bishel was selected as MAC Track Athlete of the Week on Monday for her efforts in the Indiana Invitational last weekend. She took home first-place finishes in the 3,000-meter run and the distance medley relay, along with Brittany Ade, Jenna Schmitmeyer and Megan Bevans. Bishel was also a member of the 800-meter relay team, which finished fifth.
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