The Eastern track and field team will look to starting the 2011 outdoor half of the season this weekend at the Cougar Invitational, hosted by Southern Illinois- Edwardsville.

Competing alongside the Panthers and host Southern Illinois- Edwardsville will be Indiana State, Missouri, University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, Western Illinois and Eastern Kentucky.

The Panther men enter their first outdoor meet of the season ranked No. 105 in the nation out of 181 teams in the preseason poll. In individual events, the Panther men are also nationally ranked in the 100-meter dash, with red-shirt junior Zye Boey coming off an All-American indoor season, and also the 4×400-meter relay and red-shirt senior Tyler Arnholt is nationally ranked in the discus.

On the women’s side, the Panthers are ranked No. 148 out of 187 teams in the national preseason poll. Red-shirt junior Megan Gingerich is the only member of the women’s team to be nationally ranked. Gingerich is ranked No. 32 in the women’s 800-meter dash to start the season.

Gingerich finished the indoor season as a first team All-OVC 800-meter runner, while also earning All-OVC honors in the same event for last year’s outdoor season.

Host SIU-Edwardsville enters the outdoor season with the preseason No. 112 ranked men’s team. Senior Ben Bishop is the only ranked member of the Cougar team, sitting at No. 14 in the men’s hammer throw. The Cougar women’s team is unranked in the preseason poll.

One of the highest ranking teams entering the Cougar Invitational is Indiana State, which has both the men’s and women’s teams ranked in the preseason poll. The Sycamore men are ranked No. 90, with three team members nationally ranked. The Sycamore women are ranked No. 100, with two team members ranked, as well as the team’s 4×400-meter relay team.

The weather forecast calls for rain in Edwardsville today, which could result in some sloppy conditions to open the 2011 indoor season.

After the Cougar Invite, the Panthers will host three meets at O’Brien Field, with the Neil Moore Multi’s on March 31, followed by the two-day EIU Big Blue Classic on April 1 and 2.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-7944 or [email protected]