Jan. 28, 2011

Annapolis, Md. - The Navy men's track and field team (8-1) will host #21 North Carolina, The Citadel, LaSalle, Maryland, Penn and William & Mary on Saturday in the third annual Wesley A. Brown Invitational. The non-scored meet is held in honor of the building's namesake, Lt. Cmdr. Wesley Brown, USN (ret.), who became the first African American midshipman to graduate from the Naval Academy in 1949.

The Wesley A. Brown Field House is a 140,000-square foot facility featuring a 200-meter hydraulic banked track (one of four such tracks in the U.S.), dual pole vault/jumping runways, dual throwing areas and a scenic view of the Severn River. The facility was first used during the 2008-09 season.

Navy has debuted at No. 2 in the season's first USTFCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Poll. Additionally, 14 Midshipmen are ranked (top-eight) in the region in seven events. Senior Andrew Hanko is the top-ranked runner in the 5,000m (14:29.37).

The top-ranked team in the Mid-Atlantic Region is Penn State, which is also ranked No. 10 in the country. The Mids will get to see how they stack up against a top-25 team Saturday, as North Carolina enters the weekend ranked No. 21 by the USTFCCA.

Last weekend, the Mids picked up three dual wins over Rhode Island, Rutgers and Temple. The Mids won three individual events and also claimed the 4x800m relay. Individual event winners were Mitch Simmonds in the 60m Hurdles (8.22), David Ash in the 800m (1:52.88), and Ken Bunnell in the mile (4:13.94). Each of the three event winners hit IC4A marks.

Senior team captain David Ash was been named the Patriot League Male Track-Athlete of the Week last Monday. Ash won the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.88 (IC4A) in Navy's quad meet last week, the fastest 800m time clocked by any Patriot League runner this season. Ash also ran a leg of Navy's 4x400-meter relay team that placed third with an IC4A-qualifying time of 3:19.14. It marked the first time this season that Navy's 4x400 team clocked an IC4A time.

Freshman C.J. Elward (top rookie) and junior Dominic Della Pelle (Track-Athlete) have also earned Patriot League Weekly Awards.

Navy will head to West Point for its annual indoor track and field Star Meet against Army next weekend at 3 pm. The Mids currently lead the indoor series, 25-24-2.

Shuttle Info: The Navy track and field shuttle will leave from the west side of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, beginning at 10:00 am. The shuttle is free, but parking costs $5 at the stadium. The shuttle will drop fans off right at the Wesley A. Brown Field House entrance and will make trips back to NMCMS until 10:00 pm. Only cars with Department of Defense stickers are permitted to drive onto the Yard.

Wesley Brown Invitational

Wesley A. Brown Field House | Annapolis, Md.
MEET SCHEDULE
Saturday, January 29
Field Events
11:00 am 	Weight Throw, Shot Put follows
12:00 pm      	Long Jump, Triple Jump follows
12:00 pm	Pole Vault
		High Jump follows 60m Dash - finals
Running Events
12:00 pm	5000m Run
12:20 pm	60m Hurdles - prelims
12:35 pm	60m Dash - prelims
12:50 pm	Mile Run
1:05 pm 	60m Hurdles - finals
1:15 pm 	60m Dash - finals
1:25 pm 	400m Dash
1:40 pm 	800m Run
1:50 pm 	200m Dash
2:05 pm 	3000m Run
2:20 pm 	4x400m Relay
2:30 pm 	Distance Medley Relay

Participating Teams: Navy, The Citadel, LaSalle, Maryland, #21 North Carolina, Penn, William & Mary

Entry limits: Three (3) Individual entries per team/event. One (1) Relay entry per team/event. Non-Scored Meet. Top 9 performers advance to field event finals.