DENVER – MSU Denver track & field athletes will be up and running this weekend as the outdoor season starts Saturday at the CSU-Pueblo Early Bird.
 
About 15 men and 20 women are expected to compete, with most of them scheduled for two events.
 
"They'll be competing hard, but it's also sort of a workout," MSU Denver coach Janis Christopher said. "We want to make sure we have a lot of volume early in the season, because it will go really quickly. As we get into other meets, we'll start to drill down and see what our best opportunities are to qualify for the conference championships and then we'll focus on those.
 
"This week is more about the volume. We're not worried as much about specific times as we are about going out and competing."
 
With the exception of Nick Nowlen – who competed last weekend in the 800 meters at the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships – and a group of distance runners preparing to debut next weekend, most of the Roadrunners will be in action.
 
That includes veterans such as men's sprinter Ethan Loper, men's middle distance runner Brandon Bodner, and women's sprinters Jaivion Lattimore, Allyssa Romero and Kamryn Scott. Hurdlers Anthony Martinez (men) and Maya Ries (women) starred in their first season indoors and will make their outdoor debuts.
 
As the season progresses, MSU Denver will point towards the April 29 through May 1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships.
 
Last year the men were eighth with 44 points, while the women were 11^th with 14.
 
"On the men's side, we want to score close to what we did last year," Christopher said. "It will be difficult without Blaize (Holland) in the relays, but we've got some really good guys and I think we can put together a couple of good relays. It'll also be difficult since Blaize won the sprinting events, but I think we have enough to score some points in other events.
 
"For the women, we expect to outscore ourselves. We're looking to find opportunities where we can go and score some points. That's what these first few meets are about, seeing where we can position them so that they can be the most successful."
 
Ultimately, the Roadrunners are hoping to advance several athletes to the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships from May 26 through 28.