MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University track and field team hits the road for the first time in the 2017-18 indoor season to compete in the YSU College Invitational on Friday, Jan. 19, in Youngstown, Ohio.
 
MEET INFO

The meet, which takes place at Youngstown State's Watson and Tressel Training Site (WATTS), is set to begin at 12:30 p.m. ET.
 
"After being at home for two meets, we are really excited to hit the road and really get this season underway," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "This meet will be enormous in terms of entries. Meets like this always present the opportunity to compete at a high level and will allow for a nice stepping stone for the rest of the season."
 
WVU last competed at the YSU College Invitational during the 2014-15 campaign. The Mountaineers will be joined by over two dozen teams at the event, including Division I schools such as Duquesne, Ohio, Pitt, Robert Morris and Youngstown State.
 
Last time out, West Virginia hosted its second and final home meet of the indoor season, the WVU Open, on Jan. 13, at the WVU Shell Building. The Mountaineers claimed five wins and five second-place finishes in the event, including victories by freshman McKenna Smith (500 meters), redshirt freshman Kyrielle Williams (high jump), redshirt junior Madelin Gardner (pole vault), redshirt senior Meghan Jean-Baptiste (60-meter hurdles) and redshirt senior Amy Cashin (800 meters).
 
Madelin Gardner recorded a mark of 4.08 meters (13 feet, 4.5 inches) in the women's pole vault, good for second-best in the program's indoor history. The Williamstown, West Virginia, native broke the school's indoor record at the Marty Pushkin Track Classic on Dec. 2 with a mark of 4.15 meters (13 feet, 7.25 inches).

Additionally, freshman Ellie Gardner, who finished in a tie for second in the pole vault, set a new freshman indoor school record with a mark of 3.78 meters (12 feet, 4.75 inches).
 
Friday's meet marks the first of six consecutive weekends in which the Mountaineers will travel to road events, leading up to the Big 12 Indoor Championship, on Feb. 23-24, in Ames, Iowa.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.