MEN'S SCHEDULE | WOMEN'S SCHEDULE

The Benedictine University men's and women's track and field teams have released their schedules for the 2015 indoor and outdoor seasons. Each schedule features 17 competitions and two home outdoor meets.

"Our schedule allows us to address all of the varying aspects of our teams," said Head Coach James Kluckhohn, who is entering his seventh season. "We have some very high-end athletes with the potential to qualify nationally and we have found meets tailored not only to their skill level, but to the rest of our roster as well. I think we have a good balance."

The 2015 track and field season will open up with a two-day meet on Friday, January 16 and Saturday, January 17. Benedictine will compete at the Carthage College Private College Invite in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

"We will have a smaller group compete at Carthage compared to most of our meets," explained Kluckhohn. "It is a chance for the student-athletes who, at that point, are competition-ready. It allows them to get off to a good start against what is typically quality competition."

Following the meet at Carthage will be two competitions at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. BenU will compete in the NAIA/NCAA Division IIII Challenge on January 23 and 24, as well as the ONU Quad on January 31. 

After a weekend off, BenU will follow the ONU meets with the Chicagoland Indoor Championships on February 14, which will take place at North Central College in Naperville.

"The Chicagoland Championships are a fun time for our team because it signals the transition to the championship part of our season," said Kluckhohn. "For us, it's about progressing towards being our best at the conference and national championships, and this begins that phase of our schedule."

The Eagles will compete in one final meet before the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Indoor Championships, partaking in the University of Chicago's Margaret Bradley Invite on February 21. On February 28, the NACC Indoor Championships are scheduled to take place in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

To close out the indoor season, the Eagles will head back to Carthage College for the Gill Athletics Final Qualifier on March 6 in advance of the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships on March 13 and 14.

The outdoor season will kick-off on Friday, March 27 when BenU heads to Missouri for a two-day meet at Washington University in St. Louis. Benedictine will then compete in two meets close to home: the Wheaton College First Chance Invite on April 4 and the Chicagoland Outdoor Championships at College of DuPage on April 9 and 10.

In the later part of April, BenU will host both of its home meets. The teams will host the Benedictine University Eagle Invitational on Saturday, April 11 at 10:00 a.m. and the Benedictine University Twilight Invite on Friday, April 24 at 3:00 p.m.

"The home meets are a lot of fun for our student-athletes," Kluckhohn said. "We get a chance to compete in Lisle, which we don't get to do indoors. The Twilight Invite is everyone's favorite meet because of its unique format. It is our senior night underneath the lights and our last meet before the conference championships. By then we should be in the best shape we are going to be."

Sandwiched in between the two home meets is another trip to Wheaton College on April 17. Following the Twilight Invite is the NACC Outdoor Championships in River Forest, Illinois on May 1 and 2.

In advance of the NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships from May 21-23, the Eagles are slated to compete in three final qualifiers. Benedictine will compete at North Central College in the Dr. Keeler Invite on May 7 and 8, as well as the Gregory Invitational on May 14 and 15. In addition, the Eagles will send student-athletes to the Augustana College Midwest Twilight Qualifier on May 15 in Rock Island, Illinois.

"These meets are really focused on those people who are trying to hit a qualifying mark or are very close to it," explained Kluckhohn on the final three events. "There are a lot of real high-end people from across the country competing at these locations, which is neat because there is a large diversity of student-athletes."

Last season, both the men's and women's teams enjoyed strong indoor and outdoor seasons. The women placed second at the NACC Outdoor Championships and third in the NACC Indoor Championships, while the men placed third and fourth. In addition, both Marcus Griffith (110m hurdled) and Eric Kenebrew (discus) qualified for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships, placing 10th and 15th respectively. Griffith also earned the 2013-14 Benny Award for Newcomer of the Year.  Billy Sipek, who earned the 2013-14 Benny Award for Male Athlete of the Year, qualified for the NCAA Division III Indoor Championship where he placed seventh in the high jump.