LA JOLLA, Calif. - An elite field of over 75 schools, countries, and individual athletes will converge on the Triton Track and Field Stadium this weekend, as UC San Diego will play host to the annual Triton Invitational on Friday and Saturday. The Triton track and field squads will square off against competitors from all levels, including Division I, II, and III, in what has become one of the top meets in Southern California.

This weekend's competition will feature over 1,300 entries and more than 1,000 individual athletes. Among the school represented will be Division I powers Arizona State, Auburn, Tennessee, UCLA, Kentucky, and Kansas, along with several schools from around the state, including Cal Poly, Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount, San Diego State, UC Santa Barbara, and the University of San Diego.

Several individual standouts are expected to be on hand, including world leaders Ryan Whiting (men's shot put) and Jason Young (men's discus), as well as 2004 gold medalist Felix Sanchez, who will be competing in the men's 400. Several members of the British National Team will also be competing this weekend.

Casey Ryan and Christine Merrill are two athletes to keep an eye on for UCSD, as both enter this weekend's competition as the top seeds in their respective events. Ryan is the No. 1 seed in the men's high jump (7'3.25"), while Merrill is the top seed in the women's 400-meter hurdles (58.59). She is also the No. 2 seed in the 100 hurdles (13.84), behind Candise Maxwell of UNLV.

The Triton Invite will open on Friday at 10:00 a.m. with a handful of events, before the field events begin a full day of competition on Saturday. The throwing events will start things off at 10:00, with jumping and track events to follow at 11:00. The full meet schedule can be accessed at the link above.

UCSD is coming off an impressive showing at the inaugural Soka University Peace Invitational last weekend, where Triton student-athletes won a total of 18 events and set eight stadium records. This weekend's meet will be UCSD's final competition before the 2010 California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships May 6-8, which will also be held on the La Jolla campus.

Tickets can be purchased at the entrance to the Triton Track and Field Stadium on Saturday. Tickets are $5 for general admission, while children under the age of 7 and UCSD students with a valid ID are free.

For directions to the stadium, please click here.