LA JOLLA, Calif. - An elite field of over 50 collegiate programs and competitors from around the world will converge on the Triton Track and Field Stadium this weekend as UC San Diego will play host to the annual Triton Invitational Thursday through Saturday. The Triton track and field squads will square off against athletes from multiple levels in what has become one of the premiere meets in Southern California.

This weekend's competition will feature over 1,000 entries and nearly as many individual athletes. Among the schools represented will be Division I powers Wisconsin, Georgia, Tennessee, Kansas and Auburn, along with several schools from around the state, including San Diego State and Cal State Fullerton among others.

Several individual standouts are expected to be on hand, including 2008 Olympic gold medalist Stephanie Trafton and American record holder Suzy Powell, both of whom will be competing in the women's discus for the second consecutive year. The women's javelin field will feature 2008 U.S. Olympian and former American record holder Kim Kreiner.

On the track, 2008 World Championship finalist Jenny Adams will highlight the list of competitors in the women's 100-meter hurdle field.

On the men's side, the discus competition has the potential to be one of the best in the history of the Triton Invite as current world leader Lawrence Okoye of Great Britain will square off with the second, third, fourth, sixth, 12th and 13th ranked throwers in the world. Okoye is the top seed with a mark of 218'7".

Seniors Jacqueline Rose and Nick Howe are a couple of athletes to watch for UCSD, as both will be going up against stacked fields in their primary events. Rose is the top seed in the women's 400 with a time of 53.30, while Howe, a two-time defending NCAA Champion, will be seeded seventh in the javelin at 231'3". 2011 U.S. Champion and Pan Am Games silver medalist Mike Hazle leads the field at 269'8".

The Triton Invitational will get underway on Thursday with the U.S. Olympic Training Center Elite discus competition beginning at noon. The meet will continue with the collegiate hammer, discus and pole vault competitions on Friday, before the field events kick start a full day of action on Saturday. Events will start at 10:00 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday.

UCSD is coming off another strong showing at the Soka University Peace Invitational last weekend, where Triton student-athletes won a total of 15 events. The weekend's meet will be UCSD's final competition before the 2012 California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships May 3-5 in Los Angeles.

Tickets for the Triton Invitational 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. Results will be posted here at the end of the day on Friday and Saturday.