Arizona track and field hosts the Jim Click Shootout at the Roy P. Drachman Stadium this weekend and will bring some of the best athletes in the country to Tucson.
The meet will consist of the first multi events of the season on Thursday and Friday before the athletes compete in individual events on Saturday.
Wildcat Harrison Ivie has been preparing for seven months to finally compete in a multi event. He will be competing in the decathlon, a multi event that consists of the 100-meter dash, long jump, high jump, shot put, the 400-meter race, the 110-meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin and the 1,500-meter race.
Ivie will go into the decathlon well rested after having a light training week, something he thinks will work to his advantage.
Ivie had a tough training week before the Arizona State Invitational and said he still thought he competed well, but that he feels a lighter training week will allow him to be more prepared for the meet.
UA will be competing against USC, LSU, Purdue and Illinois in the individual events on Saturday.
Nnenya Hailey will be competing in the 400-meter hurdles and the 4×400 meter relay, and said she is excited to compete against such competitive schools.
Hailey’s personal best was 56.9 seconds last season, a number she hopes to improve upon this weekend. She said she’s had a lot of practice going into hurdles and feels very confident she can get the time she is striving for.
“I want to open up faster than I finished last season,” Hailey said.
Ivie and Hailey both look forward to competing on their home track. Hailey said she feels the home crowd gives her more motivation to run better, and Ivie said he enjoys the atmosphere and support from the fans, especially with it being the first multi event of the season.
Arizona coach Fred Harvey said he is particularly looking forward to the women’s 400-meter hurdle race on Saturday, an event in which Hailey will compete.
“The 400 hurdles race this weekend will be the fastest collegiate race in the entire country until you get to the finals of the NCAA Championship,” Harvey said. “It is such a special event because it does bring together some of the top athletes in the country.”
Harvey believes the Jim Click Shootout will feature some of the strongest performances the country has seen this year as the Wildcats make their way into the second half of the season.
“It’s going to be an unbelievable meet,” Harvey said in an Arizona Athletics video. “When you have LSU, USC, ourselves, Purdue and Illinois all [getting] together for a competition, you’re going to see a lot of great things across the board.”
_______________
Follow Brandon James on Twitter.
