March 16, 2011

ARLINGTON, Tex. - Fresh off its second-place finishes in the Southland Conference Indoor Championships, UT Arlington opens its outdoor season Saturday at the Horned Frog Invitational.

The Mavericks have plenty to look forward to at the event, hosted by TCU in Fort Worth.

For starters, this is the first meet in which javelin specialist Ivan Storic will compete this season. Storic narrowly missed out on qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the javelin last year and should make a strong push to take the next step this season.

The men, especially, enter the outdoor season with great promise. Storic is one of several Mavericks with an opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Cordero Gray did so last year in the 100m and is a potential point-scorer in the event nationally. Romain Martin will sit out this week after placing third in the NCAA Indoor Championships in the heptathlon, but should be a strong presence in the decathlon. The men's 4x100m relay team - made up of Gray, Clayton Vaughn, Andrew Pettis and Lionel Mungwari - also has an excellent shot of advancing to the NCAA Championships. So, too, does pole vaulter Jeff Rodriguez.

Lindsey Putman is one of the women to watch this weekend. Putman finished second in the SLC Indoor Championships in the 800m and the Mile Run. Esther Abuto and Shannon Reynolds are also set to open the outdoor season. Abuto won the 800m last year and Reynolds earned SLC Freshman of the Year distinction. Senior hurdler/sprinter Megan Turner also makes her season debut after a strong first season with the team last year.

"I'm very excited for us to start the outdoor season," UTA coach John Sauerhage said. "We think we have an even better team outdoors than we do indoors and we can't wait to see how it plays out. I look forward to seeing if we can bring home an SLC title this spring."