The Marshall University track and field team splits into separate groups this weekend to compete in two outdoor tournaments.

One group heads to the Pepsi Florida Relays hosted by the University of Florida, while the other group travels to the Cherry Blossom Invitational hosted by Ohio University.

The Pepsi Florida Relays is a two-day event taking place Friday and Saturday at Percy Beard Track in Gainesville, Florida. The Cherry Blossom Invitational is a one-day meet held on Saturday at the Goldsberry Track in Athens, Ohio.

“Our top sprinters and field event athletes will be going to the Florida Relays in search of great competition and performances,” Marshall coach Jeff Small said in a news release. “Our distance runners and the rest of the team will continue their outdoor season at the Ohio University meet.”

Junior sprinter Hope Julmiste said several members of the  team have wanted to compete in the Pepsi Florida Relays for quite some time due to the level of competition the tournament brings.

“We have been wanting to go to this meet and go up against bigger competition,” Julmiste said.

Ten women’s track and field teams ranked in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Computer Rankings will compete in the Pepsi Florida Relays.

Freshman thrower Elena Marchand said she and the others who are traveling to Florida are excited to see how the team fairs against schools from larger conferences. 

In total, over 270 colleges will compete in the Pepsi Florida Relays, which features both men’s and women’s track and field teams. 

Marshall will compete against Wright State University, West Virginia University, Morehead State University and the University of Charleston (West Virginia) in the Cherry Blossom Invitational

Christian Hisman can be contacted at [email protected].