March 20, 2001

The Maryland men's and women's track teams will open the outdoor season this weekend at the Alabama Relays at the Sam Bailey Track Facility in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Both teams are coming off a solid indoor season that featured many strong individual and team performances. The women's team finished sixth at the ACC Indoor Championships, and the men's team placed ninth.

Following the Alabama Relays, the Terps will host consecutive home meets, the Maryland Invitational and the Terrapin Invitational. The ACC Outdoor Championships will be held the following weekend, April 20-21, followed by the Penn Relays from April 26-28. The NCAA Championships will be held May 30-June 2 in Eugene, Ore.

The women's team will be led by senior Vanessa Jones (Olney, Md.), conference champion in the high jump last year. Also, junior Ruth Kura (North Potomac, Md.) will hope to follow a dominant indoor season with a similar outdoor season. Kura broke the school record in the weight throw on three separate occasions during the indoor season.

On the men's side, senior long jumper Cedrick Rogers (Fort Wayne, Ind.) figures to lead the Terps. In addition, junior hurdlers Dontae Bugg and Phillip Barrett should have successful outdoor seasons.

Competition at the Alabama Relays begins Thursday with the decathlon and heptathlon. It continues Friday with the second portion of those events, as well as the men's and women's 10,000 meters. All other events will be held Saturday and Sunday.