The Hoosiers will only be sending sophomore Khayla Dawson and junior Nycia Ford to Athens, Georgia, to compete in the Spec Towns Invite.
Ford will compete in the hammer throw Friday, while Dawson will compete Saturday in shot put and discus.
Both athletes have come out with solid performances in the outdoor seasons.
To start off the outdoor season, Ford earned third place and a personal best of 59.58 meters in the hammer throw event. This score, which she earned at the Pac-12 vs Big Ten Invitational on March 23 and 24, was the third-longest throw in school history.
Ford also excelled throughout the indoor season. She earned ninth place in the weight throw event at the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships held on Feb. 23 and 24 with a personal best of 19.8 meters.
Dawson has had a breakout season in the field this year. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has earned two Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week awards — one during the indoor track season and one for the outdoor season. Both instances were earned through stellar marks in the shot put event.
Her indoor season award came after her third place performance in shot put at the 2017 Hoosier Open on Dec. 8, where she earned a mark of 16.61 meters. This mark was good for third place in the country at the time.
Dawson has broken her personal record twice since then. At the 2018 Indiana University Relays on Jan. 26 and 27, she earned first place in the event with a shot put throw of 16.64 meters.
Her second personal best came during the first outdoor meet of the season. After throwing a personal best in the shot put at 16.72 meters and earning first place at the Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Invitational, Dawson went on to earn her second women’s Big Ten Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week.
Dawson is currently ranked No. 1 in shot put in the Big Ten, as well as No. 13 in discus, whereas Ford is ranked No. 5 in the hammer throw.
Dawson also ranks No. 8 in the NCAA for her performance in shot put this season.
Alexis Oser
