LYNCHBURG, Va. (February 15, 2020) – Howard University men's track & field squad competed in their final tune-up before Championship Season at the annual Darius Dixon Invitational, hosted by Liberty University. The event was two days (Feb. 14-15), but HU only took part in Saturday's festivities.
 
"This weekend was the last tune up for the squad heading into MEAC [Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference] Championships," said Howard Director of Track & Field David Oliver. "We couldn't ask for a better place than at the fantastic Liberty University facility. It was a great opportunity to build upon the great results we got last weekend in South Carolina. Unfortunately, we folded in some of our strong events, but some took advantage."
 
Freshman Ian Wheeler (Houston) was among those who took advantage of this weekend's opportunity in the men's pole vault. The Houston native catapulted over 13 feet (3.98 meters) in the air, which landed him with the fourth-best mark in the conference.
 
"I love working with football student-athletes [because] they tend to just keep their head down, grind and offer little complaints," Director Oliver expressed on Wheeler, a two-sport student-athlete in football and track. "Ian Wheeler has been no different for us this year. He's been working tirelessly on training for the pole vault every day since football season ended and his work with Coach Frank Rivers is paying dividends. He's got a great future with us and I believe he should find himself on the podium in the event at the [MEAC] Indoor Championships."
 
Second-year hurdler Jermanie Byrd (Miami) ran a personal best in the men's 60-meter hurdles with an 8.08 time in the prelims, which also ranks fourth in the MEAC. In the finals, the Miami product placed seventh overall, clocking in at 8.16.
 
"Jermanie [Byrd] did extremely well in his prelim run [by] shaving more time off his personal best and moving up the conference performance list," Director Oliver stated on his sophomore standout from South Florida. "But the final was less than impressive in terms of execution. That's where you leave your mark and we must continue to level up every single round."
 
After Saturday's meet, Wheeler was the only Bison to qualify for Landover this weekend.
 
"Our men left more than a little bit to be desired this weekend," Director Oliver continued. "As a coach, I can only provide the what to do, when to do it and how it's to be done parts of the equation, the 'want to' must be provided by student-athletes. We lacked some 'want to' on plenty of fronts at this meet, but we got a few things done this weekend."
 
On Feb. 27-29, HU concludes its indoor season at the MEAC Indoor Championships in Landover, Md., where Director Oliver expects a championship mindset going into the meet.
 
"With indoor championships on the horizon, we've got to click into more of a championship mentality," Director Oliver added. "The points will be won and lost on that side of things, more so than the physical side in about 10 days."
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.