ALLENDALE, Mich. – The No. 1 ranked Grand Valley State men's and women's track and field squads are home for the first time this season as they host the GVSU Early Meet. The Lakers will host more than 500 athletes beginning Friday, April 3 at noon with competition continuing through 6 p.m. GVSU pole vaulters will compete at the Michigan State Spartan Invite on Friday and at home on Saturday at one.
 
GVSU Early Meet – Schedule | Live Results | Watch on FloTrack | Tickets
MSU Spartan Invite – Schedule | Live Results
 
Earlier this week, the U.S. Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released the first Track & Field Rankings Index (TFRI) checkpoint of the outdoor season. In the weekly rankings, both men and women lead NCAA Division II. Additionally, several GVSU individuals and events lead the nation.
 
Abigail VanderKooi (and Koby Fraaza (28:52.63) lead the division in the 10000m with personal-best finishes at the Raleigh Relays. Owen Westerkamp holds the No. 1 spot in the 3000m steeplechase with a personal-best finish at 8:46.22, ranking him second in program history.
 
The men's 110m hurdles (avg: 14.29), hammer throw (avg: 63.67m), shot put (avg: 16.68m) and steeplechase (avg: 9:00.19) rank first in the nation based on the top-four average marks/times of GVSU athlete. The 800m (avg: 2:11.15) and shot put (avg: 14.00m) events lead the division on behalf of the Laker ladies.
 
Competition at the GVSU Early Meet begins at noon with women's hammer and men's javelin; men and women will follow after completion of each event. After hammer throw, women's shot put and men's discus begin, again with the opposite gender following the completion. High jump and long jump are slated for 3 p.m. and triple jump follows long jump.
 
Running events begin at 2 p.m. with the 110/110m hurdles. The final event of the day, the 5000m invite, is slated to begin at 6 p.m. A full schedule is linked at the beginning of this story.
 
Pole vaulters will compete at the MSU Spartan Invite beginning with the men's section at 11 a.m. The women are slated to begin at 2:30 p.m. On Saturday, they begin competition at GVSU Early Meet in the Kelly Family Sports Center.
 
Fans can watch the Lakers in action in person at the GVSU Track and Field/Lacrosse Complex by purchasing tickets at the gate or in advance at gvsulakers.com. Fans can also tune in on FloCollege or follow along with live results provided by Fairchild Sports Timing on Athletic.net.
 
Be sure to follow @GVSUXCTF on Instagram and X and GVSU CC and TF on Facebook for photos, live updates and more. A story recapping the day's events and final results of the meet will be posted to gvsulakers.com following the conclusion of the meet.