The Loyola University men’s and women’s track teams will compete at the Southeastern Lions Invitational on Friday, April 20 in Hammond.

The Wolfpack will be up against teams from Lamar Uni- versity, McNeese State University, Northwestern State Univer- sity, Nicholls State University and Southern University at Baton Rouge.

Head track coach Andy Cane- gitta said he has high hopes for his team in Hammond this week- end.

“I want them to be competitive and improve their performance from previous races that we have run,” Canegitta said.

This will be the Wolfpack’s first appearance at the Southeastern Lion Invitational. SLU invested in renovating the university’s track. Construction on the new facility was completed late last year, not allowing the Southeastern Lion Invitational to be scheduled.

Easter break did not interfere with the Wolfpack’s preparation for the SLU meet, Canegitta said.

“If anything, spring break was kind of a recovery week for most of my runners. It gave some extra time for those who are suffering from some minor injuries,” Canegitta said. Now that the break is over, the Wolfpack approaches its toughest competitors this season, facing most of them at the SLU meet.

“Division I teams are our top competitors. They bring the best performance out of my runners,” Canegitta said.

The Wolfpack has trained diligently during both the pre-season and the outdoor season, Canegitta said. Canegitta said he expects his runners to set some personal re- cords, as well as school records in Hammond.

“My teams have been training hard and are determined to con- tinue to improve and be competi- tive. I’m very proud of their ef- fort,” Canegitta said.

Chelsey Richter can be reached at [email protected]