RICHMOND, VA -- The University of Delaware will look for improvement from last season when the Blue Hen men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams compete at the Colonial Athletic Association Outdoor Track and Field Championships this Friday and Saturday, April 21-22, at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The meet will get underway on Friday at 11 a.m. with the men’s javelin competition with the decathlon and heptathlon set to begin at 12 noon. Friday’s first running event will be the women's 3,000 meter steeplechase at 6:30 p.m. Saturday’s action will get underway at 9:30 a.m. with the continuation of the decathlon and heptathlon. The final event is scheduled to go off at 4:45 p.m.

Each individual champion will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA East Regionals to be held at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro, NC May 26-27.

UNC Wilmington is the men’s defending champion with the Seahawks having won seven of the last nine titles. Delaware placed fifth a year ago with its best finish at the meet a second place showing in 2003.

Delaware’s top returning finisher from last season is Chris Dixon, who placed second in the 400 meter hurdles and third in the 100 meter hurdles in 2005. The Blue Hens’ top ranked athletes entering this year’s championships are Brad Dodson and Sam MacKenzie in the 1,500 meters, Charlie Williams in the 400 meters, Will Jurkowski in the 800 meters, Dixon in the hurdles, and Jared Wasser and Kyle Casella in the weight events.

William & Mary has won five straight women’s titles and six of the last seven. The Blue Hens placed seventh a year ago with their best finish a fifth place showing in 2003.

Delaware’s top returning woman finisher is senior Casey Bennett (above), who captured the pole vault competition last spring with a meet-record leap and moved on to the NCAA Regionals. Also back leading the Blue Hens in Rachel Young, who was third in the hammer a year ago.

In addition to Bennett in the pole vault and Young in the weight events, other top Delaware performers will be Alexi Capsouras in the hurdles, Asha Quant in the long jump, Kelli McDonald and Laura Chirico in the pole vault, and Stephanie Cronk in the weight events.