Chicago – Chicago State director of men's and women's track & field and cross country
Paul Zavala released the 2021 men's and women's outdoor track & field schedules today. The Cougars are slated to compete in eight events, beginning April 2-3 at the Joey Haines Invite hosted by Southeast Missouri State University, and concluding, June 9-12, at the NCAA National Championships in Eugene, OR.
"Our student-athletes have been preparing hard to get an opportunity to compete again and we are excited to see our progress," Zavala said. "Our outdoor competition schedule provides a unique opportunity to compete against national caliber competition, while showcasing our track & field program across the country."
The Cougars men's squad returns half of its 2019 4x100-Meter Relay team (
Olesson Cesalien,
Ricordo McKenzie) which earned 2019 Honorable Mention All-American honors and won the WAC title (along with and Matthew Brown and
Carlton Sims). Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet. McKenzie (200m) established a new CSU outdoor record and teamed with Cesalien to establish new school records in both the 4x100m and 4x200m relays in 2019.
Chicago State's women's team signed a five-time all-conference performer to compete in 2021.
Joelle Ataessien joins the Cougars from Lewis University where she was a five-time Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) champion and a five-time GLVC all-conference performer. She was a member of the 2018 NCAA Division II outdoor track & field national champions and placed 11
th as part of the 4x100m relay team. Ataessien has one year of eligibility remaining due to COVID cancellation of last year's outdoor season.
"After the WAC Championships were postponed for cross country and canceled for indoor track & field, we made the difficult decision to forgo both seasons and focus on the outdoor track & field season," Zavala said. "Our main priority is the health and safety of our student-athletes while giving them an opportunity to compete at a high level."
DATE EVENT HOST LOCATION
April 2-3 Joey Haines Invite Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO
April 9-10 Miami Invitational Miami University Coral Gables, FL
April 16-17 Gibson Invite Indiana State University Terre Haute, IN
April 22-24 Drake Relays Drake University Des Moines, IA
April 30-May 1 Kentucky Open Kentucky University Lexington, KY
May 13-15 WAC Championships UT Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
May 27-29 NCAA West Regional Texas A&M University College Station, TX
June 9-12 NCAA National Championships Oregon University Eugene, OR
Dates and times are subject to change.
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