SCHEDULE: MEN / WOMEN

The Bethel Royals have announced the 2019 track and field schedule. Bethel will open their indoor season on Friday, January 18th at the Vanessa Seljeskog Classic hosted by Macalester College. "We are all really looking forward to getting the competitive season underway," says Head Coach Andrew Rock. "We had an incredible year in 2018, we have a lot of amazing athletes back, and a very talented incoming class."

The 2017-18 track and field season was one of the most successful in program history for the Bethel Royals. The Royals captured 19 All-American awards, won 10 conference events, and broke 11 school records between the indoor and outdoor seasons. They hope to build off of that success starting next weekend at Macalester.

The Royals will host the Gene Glader Invitational on Saturday, February 2nd before hitting the road to Iowa for the Darren Young Classic at Grinnell College. The teams will be split between meets at the University of Minnesota and St. Olaf the following weekend. Bethel will compete at St. Olaf on three separate occasions during their indoor campaign, including the MIAC Indoor Championships on February 21-23. "It's always a great atmosphere at the MIAC championships. It's a very competitive conference year in and year out," says Rock.

"If we perform like we are capable of, we expect to have a good group of athletes at the national meet," says Coach Rock. This year, the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships are held at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston on March 8-9.  

This year, Bethel will travel to San Diego over spring break to compete at Point Loma University. "It's a great opportunity to bond as a team and have fun, along with training and competing in warm weather. It's a highlight for our program every time we go," says Rock.

The outdoor season comes back to the Midwest with two meets at Hamline University and another trip to the University of Minnesota. For the second year in a row, Bethel will be competing at the Augustana Meet of Champions on April 18-19. The team hopes to qualify several relays and individuals for the prestigious Drake Relays on April 25-27.

St. Thomas University will play host to the MIAC Outdoor Championships on May 10-11, while the decathlon and heptathlon will compete the previous week (May 2-3). "Outdoor conference is a long way out at this point, but that's a huge meet for the entire team, and we want to build up to be our best at that point in the year," says Rock.

The 2019 season finale will be the NCAA Division III Outdoor championships held at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Follow the Royals throughout both seasons online and through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @bethelxctf.