Indiana’s longest running collegiate track and field meet will take place Friday, April 13 at Michael A. Carroll Stadium on IUPUI’s campus. The Indiana “Little State” meet, which is in its 102nd year of competition, will feature the “little” Indiana teams in 17 Division II and III teams from across the state.

The favorites heading into the meet are the NAIA Division II Anderson University Ravens and the Indiana-Wesleyan Wildcats for the men’s competition. In the women’s competition, the heavy favorite will be the Division II University of Indianapolis Greyhounds. The No. 7 nationally ranked ’Hounds have won the meet 13 years in a row.

According to Scott Fangman, UIndy men’s and women’s track and field head coach, the meet is a chance for fans to see the sport without the speculation of performance enhancing drugs that surrounds the Division I and professional levels.

“The draw is that it’s the highest quality of track and field you’re going to get in the purest sense,” Fangman says.

One event to watch will be the women’s 100 dash on Saturday. The top sprinters from Indiana-Wesleyan, UIndy, Anderson, Earlham and St. Joseph’s have all recorded top times between 12.5 and 13 seconds.

Three of Southern Indiana’s runners will jump over hurdles and run through ankle high water in search of the 3,000-meter steeplechase title. Brandon Campbell, Tim Sirberk and Robert Garwood hold three of the top four finish times in the steeplechase in the Screaming Eagle’s Great Lakes Valley Conference rankings.

One of the most exciting events in any track meet is the 4 x 100 relay. Taylor will bring in the fastest men’s time with 42.9 seconds, but not too far behind will be UIndy (43.25 seconds) and St. Joe’s (43.41 seconds).

The preliminary rounds will start at 4 p.m. on Friday and will typically last until dusk. The final rounds will start the next morning at 10 a.m.