CEDAR CITY, Utah - With the Indoor Track and Field season nearing it's conclusion, the Thunderbirds face their biggest meet of the season thus far when they travel to Bozeman, Montana this weekend for the Big Sky Conference Indoor Championships.

The event will run from Thursday to Saturday, and several of the top T-Birds will be making the trip to compete for the conference title.

“This conference is one of the toughest in the country,” SUU head coach Eric Houle said about the level of competition the team will see this weekend. “I think there's 32 conferences and this one is constantly in the top ten, so to get some of these athletes to this conference level is a major accomplishment.”

10 different male athletes will represent the T-Bird distance team, and four different women will be running in distance events as well.

One of those male athletes is cross country all-american Hayden Hawks, who is gearing up for his final Indoor Championships.

“My goal is to qualify for nationals,” he said. “That's my main goal for this championship, and I feel like if I'm going to qualify for nationals I should win the race or be right there at the front of the race.”

Hawks said his main focus will be on the 5K, where he is right on the bubble of setting a qualifying time for nationals. He also said the goal is to come home with a second Big Sky Conference title.  

The Indoor National Championships will be ran in Birmingham, Alabama in two weeks.

The sprinters/jumpers will see six men going to the Championships along with five women.

Justin Lewis is among that group of sprinters, and is part of a 4x4 team looking to make some noise. Lewis said his goal is to set a personal best in each event he's doing, and he will also be lacing it up for the 400-meter this season.  

“I think I'm further along this year then where I was last year at this time,” Lewis said said.

After both teams set personal bests a couple weeks ago, the men's and women's 4x4 teams will also be lacing it up in Bozeman looking to make some noise.  

The T-Birds had two throwers qualify for the Big Sky, with Jayson Kovar and Cannon Brunsvik both competing in the shot put, and Kovar also competing in the weight throw.

The event will take place at Montana State's Brick Breeden Fieldhouse starting on Thursday.

SUU Competitors:

Distance

Men: Ibrahim Ahmed, Josh Collins, George Espino, Hayden Hawks, Liam Kennell, Robbie Lee, Eric Sandall, Istvan Szogi, Mike Tate and Matthew Wright

Women: Paige Cardiff, Ashley Hawks, Angie Nickerson, Josie Riggs and Brighton Glassman

Sprints / Jumps

Men: Eric Durrant, Brandan Harley, Justin Lewis, Ian Mack, Devon Montgomery and Inoa Wahinehookae

Women: Celia Halpin, Haley Harris, Brindisy Russell, Mia Russell and China Simmons

Throws