Eugene, OR – This weekend, the XO Invite, in its fifth year, will mature beyond its years as it joins with the powerhouse college/pro meet, the Oregon Invite to create the first annual Oregon Relays, a two-day meet, in a move that gave birth to meets like the Penn Relays, Drake Relays, and the Mt. Sac Relays.
What these other juggernaut meets do not have is what the XO Invite has always specialized in: Co-ed Team Championships! The XO Invite convincingly became the championship meet of the season as the co-ed format provided some stunning victories over the years like the double 4x400 victories that sealed the deal for Benson in 2005, distance-heavy Jesuit who scored top-three finishes in every distance race, boys and girls, to win in 2006, and that famous one-two Mathabane punch, brother and sister, Nathan and Bianca, who with their team were too much to handle for the 2007 fields.
Yes, the excitement will continue with the co-ed championship format, as will other traditions, like the small class championship (best non-6A school), freshman, the hammer throw, sprint and distance medley relays, steeplechases, evening drums and a live band. This year’s band is Cambio, a progressive R&B Rock band out of Eugene, will play on Saturday at 3:30pm.
A tradition was begun last year with the inclusion of five non-Oregon schools and continues this year. Camas, and Capital return from last year’s championships, and Elma of Elma, WA, Heritage of Vancouver, and powerhouse Bellarmine Prep of Tacoma look to test their mettle at this year’s meet.
The competition will commence for the first time since historic Hayward Field’s upgrade in preparation for this year’s Olympic Trials. Athletes and spectators alike will also enjoy the continuation of the High Performance sections that will begin with the 4x100 at 4pm and will conclude with the meet’s finale, the 4x400 meter relays ending just before 7pm. The XO Invite almost infamously comes down to the final relay to determine a team champion, and with XO Invite and State Champ Lincoln returning to defend, 2007 XO Invite Champ Jesuit returning after a year off, and 68-degree weather outlook, the forecast for this year’s meet looks to be ready to rock and roll!
This year’s meet will have more media coverage than any other high school meet in Oregon history. Video, pictures, news, and results will all be found at RunnerSpace.com. All the major papers in Oregon, Youth Runner Magazine, and DyeStat.com will all be on hand to cover the meet. Not a moment of this year’s exciting Oregon Relays will be missed! We’ll see you at Hayward Field!
