The University of Delaware will play host to many of the top men and women track and field performers in the East this weekend when the Blue Hens welcome 10 teams for the Colonial Athletic Association track and field championships at Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium.

The annual meet will get underway on Friday, May 5, at 1 p.m., due to weather conditions, and will run until early evening and then resume on Saturday, May 6, at 10 a.m. Admission is free during both days of competition. Live results throughout the meet will be available online at BlueHens.com.

UD is hosting the CAA championships for the first time and is serving as host of a conference championship for the first time since the 1980s. A total of 59 Blue Hen student-athletes will be competing for head coach Wendy McFarlane-Smith.

Field events being held on Friday include the women’s javelin, long jump, hammer, pole vault, and heptathlon, and the men’s javelin, long jump, hammer, pole vault, and decathlon. On the track, both men and women will compete in the trials of the 1,500 meters, 100 and 110 meter hurdles, 400 meters, 100 meters, 800 meters, 400 meter hurdles, 200 meters, and 10,000 meters.

On Saturday, field events will be contested in the women’s shot put, triple jump, discus, high jump, and heptathlon, and the men’s shot put, triple jump, high jump, discus, and decathlon. Track events will include finals in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, 4x100 meter relay, 4x400 meter relay, 1,500 meters, 100 and 110 meter hurdles, 400 meters, 100 meters, 800 meters, 400 meter hurdles, 5,000 meters, and 200 meters.

Team championships will be awarded for both the men and women. Northeastern is the defending men’s champion while Elon is the defending women’s champion.

The Blue Hens, who last won the CAA title in 2014, have enjoyed a solid spring outdoor season in which they have competed at nine events, winning the Delaware Open and Delaware Classic, placing second at the Towson Invitational and Navy Invitational, and finishing third at the Maryland Invitational.

UD junior Tyra Reid enters the CAA meet as the defending champion in the 400 meters and is one of several Blue Hens coming off top finishes at the 2016 conference meet. The Hens placed third in the 4x100 meter relay and fourth in the 4x400 meter relay a year ago while Kristina Valko was second in the javelin, Ashley Bailey was third in the pole vault, Liz McGroarty was fourth in the 800 meters, and Melissa Zegeer was fifth in the hammer.

Among the other top hopefuls to medal for the Blue Hens this season, based on regular season rankings, are Sarah Hillman in the shot put and discus, Jeanette Bendolph in the 800 meters, McGroarty in the 1,500 meters, Leslie Ope in the 100 meter hurdles, and London Freeland and Carly Pettipaw in the 400 meter hurdles.