HOBOKEN, N.J. (Mar. 17, 2021)  – The Stevens Institute of Technology track and field program announced its 2021 outdoor competition schedule Wednesday. The calendar features 10 meets in total, including both the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships and the All-Atlantic Region Championships, which will be contested in May. The outdoor season officially concludes with the NCAA Division III Championships, set for Greensboro, North Carolina May 27-29.

"Our team is grateful to have the opportunity to finally compete after missing the 2020 Indoor NCAA Championships, the 2020 outdoor season, the 2020 cross country season and the 2021 indoor season," said head men's and women's track and field and cross county coach Lance Harden. "Many of our student-athletes have been training on their own throughout the pandemic for a full year now and we are excited to see their dedication and perseverance pay off."

"We would like to thank all of the MAC Track and Field Coaches, Athletic Directors and Presidents for all of their work planning this season and providing us with a balanced schedule of safe meets," Harden continued. "In particular, we appreciate the efforts of the eight conference institutions who have volunteered to host meets: Alvernia, DeSales, King's, Lebanon Valley, Messiah, Misericordia, Widener, and York. Here at Stevens, we'd like to recognize all of the staff who have gone above and beyond during the pandemic to keep our student-athletes engaged, healthy, and prepared: Michelle Carrone and Ryan Linder in Strength & Conditioning for adapting and creating lifts that everyone could do even without access to facilities and for spending long hours on-campus with the first-years this Fall; our athletic trainer Melanie Rynshall and the entire Sports Medicine staff for managing injuries, illnesses, quarantines, and mental health; Charles O'Brien and Doug Waters in Athletic Communications for their great articles about alumni and current team members and social media engagement; Administrators Russell Rogers, Michael Lippencott, Megan Haughey, Emily Kaczmarek, Brian Bertucci and Heather White for their long hours of planning and for creating a framework that allows us to safely compete; Most of all, our assistant coaches John Kolibab, Tim Wilson, and Veronica Montrose, who have been there virtually and in-person every day directly supporting our student-athletes and keeping them motivated."

The season gets underway on Mar. 20 with the Monarch Invitational, hosted by King's College. One week later, the Ducks head to Chester, Pennsylvania for the first of three conference-wide events the programs are slated to compete in that are set to be hosted by Widener University. Stevens will also travel to Widener for MAC-only meets on Apr. 10 and Apr. 18.

The only non-MAC-sponsored event of the season takes place at Rowan University on Apr. 3, when the Ducks compete in the Oscar Moore Invitational. The trip to Glassboro will be the only non-Pennsylvania trip for the men's and women's track and field teams this season.

Following the second and third MAC-only meets, Stevens heads to Center Valley, Pennsylvania for the DeSales University Invitational on Apr. 24, followed by a return trip to King's for the Monarch Open on May 1.

The postseason begins five days later with the three-day MAC Outdoor Championships, which is also being hosted by Widener May 6-8. It will be the first conference championship meet for the Ducks since the 2020 Indoor Championships last spring, where the women's program finished fifth out of 14 competing teams and the men's program claimed their second straight title, and first in the MAC, on the final event.

The final meet of the year is the Widener Last Chance Meet on May 16. Three days later, the Ducks head to Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania for the All-Atlantic Region Outdoor Championships, hosted by Susquehanna University. Qualifying individuals will then have the opportunity to compete for a national championship at the NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships in Greensboro May 27-29.

"Many of our student-athletes and their families have been challenged greatly over the past year due to the pandemic," Harden reflected. "Some of them were unable to opt-in this season due to related circumstances; on behalf of them, and the sacrifices that those who opted-in have made, we aim to represent the entire Stevens Track & Field family with joy and excellence."

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