The Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships take place starting today through Sunday at Ed Weir Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. The finals for each event will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network Sunday at 6 pm.
Here are three competitors or relay teams for the Rutgers men and women that have the best chance to win a conference title in their individual events this weekend.
Men's Team
Corey Crawford - Long Jump
Crawford is fresh off winning the Big Ten Medal of Honor, which the conference awards to a graduating male and female athlete from each school who excelled in their sport and in the classroom during their collegiate career. He is looking for a clean sweep as Big Ten Long Jump champion, as he won the title for the indoor season this past winter. Crawford has missed most of the outdoor season due to injury, but finished in second place at the Penn Relays two weeks ago. The three time All-American is looking to end his collegiate career on a high note. Regardless of this weekend's result, Crawford will go down as one of the best athletes in Rutgers history.
Izaiah Brown - 400 meters
Brown is the reigning Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year & Freshman of the Year from the indoor season. He owns the best 400m time of the outdoor season for the conference as well, running in 45.51 seconds. That is a school record and a top ten time for all of Division I this season. He is the prohibitive favorite to win this weekend. Brown also won the Rutgers honor of co-Freshman Male Athlete of the Year at the R Awards last week. He shared the honor with Lacrosse star Adam Charalambides.
Christopher Mirabelli - Javelin
He has the second best throw in the conference this season and finished second at the Penn Relays two weeks ago. Mirabelli has won four events this outdoor season and has a legitimate chance at winning the Big Ten title this weekend.
To read more on the entire men's track & field team ahead of this weekend's championship event, click here.
Women's Team
Gabrielle Farquharson - Multiple Events
Farquharson won the Rutgers Female Athlete of the Year at the R Awards last week . During indoors this past winter, she became the 200m Big Ten champion in back to back seasons and earned All-American status for the fourth time in her career. She has set all-time program marks in the 100m and 200m this outdoor season and is ranked third and second for the conference respectively in those events. In addition, she ranks seventh in the country in the long jump and has already qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer. This gives her an opportunity to qualify for the Summer Olympics this August. Gabrielle is looking to close out her stellar career at Rutgers with a Big Ten title. There is a great profile on her here.
4X100 Relay Team
Farquharson is also competing on this relay team along with Phyllis Gordon, Chamique Francis, and Bria Sanders that ranks fourth in the conference this season. They are hoping to close on the season with a strong performance this weekend.
Allyson Black - 10,000 meters
The freshman is competing in her first Big Ten Outdoor Championships and ranks eighth in the conference in this event. Black also runs for the cross country team and was named an NCAA All-Regional performer this past fall. She is off to a great start in her Rutgers career.
To read more on the entire women's track & field team ahead of this weekend's championship event, click here.
Good luck to both the men's and women's teams this weekend!