Jan. 27, 2011

ARLINGTON, Tex. - In the grand scheme of the season, this weekend's Houston Indoor Invitational won't make or break UT Arlington's season.

UTA coach John Sauerhage wants his team to have a good showing, have more athletes qualify for the Southland Conference Indoor Championships and, most importantly, stay healthy.

At the same time, this is the first opportunity Sauerhage and his team will have to see several of the league opponents. SLC teams Lamar, McNeese State, UTSA, Northwestern State, Sam Houston State, Texas State, Stephen F. Austin and Southeastern Louisiana will be there, as will Nicholls' women.

"It's so obvious what we're trying to accomplish - we're trying to run faster," Sauerhage said. "This weekend we will see a lot of teams from our conference so it's almost like a mock conference meet. We'd like to see us compete well against the Southland Conference head-to-head. It's going to be important for us to really make a good impression and make it obvious to ourselves first that we can compete with anyone in the league."

The meet will last two days - Friday and Saturday - and will put several athletes in a situation where they compete in back-to-back days.

That, Sauerhage said, is important as the team prepares for the SLC Indoor Championships at the end of next month.