ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Houghton outdoor track & field is prepped for the 2024 Empire 8 Outdoor Track & Field Championship meet set for Friday and Saturday in Rochester, N.Y.

The meet, hosted by St. John Fisher University. Friday's competition starts at 1:30 p.m., with Saturday events getting underway at 10 a.m.

Empire 8 Men's Championship Preview | Empire 8 Women's Championship Preview

The Highlanders will send a contingent that includes several conference leaders in multiple events.

For the men, the Highlanders have several distance runners who will look to score key points, including Caleb Kasper, Ben Allen, and Amos Bixler. Kasper is the defending Empire 8 Champion in the 10,000-meters. He enters the 2024 championship second in the 10,000-meters and third in the 5,000-meters. Bixler is the current Empire 8 leader in the 800-meters (1:57.94) and is second in the 1,500-meters (4:03.57). James Eustace is also a strong contender in both events. Sprinter Evan Kurtz is ranked second among all E8 student-athletes in 100-meter dash and third in the and 200-meters. Avery Belanger enters the meet ranked second in the triple jump (12.85 meters), fourth in the long jump (6.40 meters) and is also a candidate to score key points in both the 110- and 400-meter hurdles. Andrew Ryan is also expected to contend in the high jump.

"We have seven more qualifiers than indoor E8's and one more than last year outdoor. I like to pay attention to metrics that we surpass, in effort to keep getting better as a program," said Head Coach Patrick Hager. "We will be missing two key contributors for the men, but 45 points is the goal to pass. We will need big efforts from Caleb Kasper, Amos Bixler, James Eustace, and Avery Belanger, especially."

Senior Caleb Kasper is excited about another chance at an E8 title. "I'm anticipating a great weekend ahead, and really looking forward to seeing how we maximize our potential as we chase PRs, podium spots, and individual titles. Historically we've really risen to the occasion of taking on conference competition as a team at the championship meets, and coming off the year we've had so far, I'd expect nothing less from the crew," said Kasper.

The women will look to earn a top-three team finish in 2024. Sophomore Noelle Linenfelser is a top contender in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter events. Teammate Tabitha Clark is ranked sixth in the conference in the 1,500-meters. First-year standout Victoria Brewster is ranked second in the conference in both the 100- and 200-meters. Kyra Binney will look to earn points in the middle-distance events, while Katie Widmer is a contender in the hurdles and jumps. Abigail Nuzzo is currently second among all E8 student-athletes in the javelin and is the defending league champion in the event. Graduate student Madison Palmer, who previously competed at Alfred, won the 2021 E8 shot put championship. She is currently ranked third among E8 student-athletes in the event and is sixth in the hammer throw.

"The women are in a really good spot to make a push at beating last year's total of 70 points," added Hager. "We will rely on Noelle Linenfelser, Victoria Brewster, Madison Palmer, Abigail Nuzzo, and Tabitha Clark to provide big points. This weekend of competition together, and with a great group of competitors, is always a highlight of the year. I'm really looking forward to it."

Freshman Victoria Brewster is ready to put her best against the top athletes in the conference. "I am looking forward to spending time with the team this weekend and watching my teammates compete," said Victoria Brewster. "I'm specifically excited to warm up and cool down with Sarah Coddington as we have all of our events together. I can't wait to see how our hard work combined with the taper will pay off! for myself, i am excited to race some good competition that will hopefully lead to PRs."

The championship will have live stream video coverage. Live scoring will be provided by Leone Timing.