The Maroons will host the Margaret Bradley Invitational this weekend, and it is important for the future of this Chicago squad for a number of reasons. Not only will this be the last meet in Henry Crown Field House for the year, but it will also be the last weekend of competition before conference.
This weekend’s meet will not bring in as many high caliber teams as some of the last few meets have, allowing the Maroons a chance to fine-tune their craft. The South Siders have been competing against the top teams in the area over the past month and are eager to see how their preparation all season will match up in the UAAs next weekend.
Fourth-year Kareem Kebaish is looking at this weekend as a last chance to prep for the upcoming UAA meet. “This meet will be a nice way for the team to close out the regular season. It’s not going to be a huge meet, but there will still be some solid competition,” Kebaish said. “Having less pressure is nice because it will allow the travel squad to do some fine-tuning in their events to prepare for conference. For the rest of the team, this will be the last indoor meet, so the focus will be geared towards chasing some final PRs.”
The Maroons are rolling into the final stretch of the indoor season following some quality performances across the board in last week’s meet. As Kebaish alluded to, many athletes recorded personal records last week and will look to continue on this upward trajectory.
Second-year Tali Naibryf spoke highly of the team’s success thus far this season and is looking forward to seeing how the rest of it will unfold. “Our team is looking really good at this point in the season! We are fine-tuning and competing in our last home meet this weekend,” Naibryf said. “Next weekend we will be at the conference meet, where we look forward to great competition!”
Though it will not be their last competition at the University, this will mark the last meet inside Henry Crown for the fourth-year class. “The meet will be very meaningful to the seniors, as it will be their last time competing on the Henry Crown track,” Kebaish said.
The last home meet of the indoor season will be a bit anticlimactic compared to the last competitions for Maroon athletes on other teams because a majority of the team will compete in the outdoor season as well. That being said, the fourth-years will be recognized for their last competition in Henry Crown, but not to the degree that they will be at the end of outdoor season.
Ending the regular season in Henry Crown bodes well for the Maroons, as they have been dominating in Crown stretching back to 2013. Both the men and women have never placed below second place in each of their last 14 home meets.
The Margaret Bradley Invitational will be a one-day event starting at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday in Henry Crown Field House.