Coming off of a dominating performance in its first home meet of the season, the Miami University women’s track and field team is gearing up for the Jesse Owens Classic Friday at Ohio State University.

After running away with the Miami Invitational team title, several RedHawks will rest this weekend but others will make the trek to Columbus to compete again.

“This meet is more focused on the individual, rather than the team,” Head Coach Kelly Phillips said. “We had several qualifiers, but we really want to give others a chance to rest to get ready for the All-Ohio meet here in Oxford and the Penn Relays, which are always a big deal.”

The meet will be a test for the ’Hawks who attend, as it will be a Big Ten dominated meet with Pennsylvania State University, Michigan State University, Indiana University, Purdue University and others all gathering in Columbus.

“The competition is going to be strong,” Phillips said. “I’m confident in the team and know that we’ll compete hard and may surprise lots of people.”

Senior sprinter Diona Graves made her mark on the Miami Invitational, winning the long jump and helping the 4x100-meter relay to a victory. She will ride that momentum into Ohio State, hoping for a strong showing against so many power conference teams.

“I really would like to PR this weekend since I haven’t done that yet this season,” Graves said. “It would be nice to take care of my regional qualifying time, but we’ll see how that goes.”

Graves also is not shying away from the power and reputation of the Big Ten or the electric atmosphere.

“I tend to put pressure on myself, but I thrive in it,” Graves said. “I’ve competed against the biggest and best athletes and teams before. I have never been the type of person to back down from a challenge, so I’m looking forward to it. I’m bringing my best and I hope the other teams do too. That way, it should be fun.”

Fellow senior Rachael Clay is having an illustrious season as well, winning several races and focusing on improving her main races: the 200 and 400 meter dashes. Clay claimed an NCAA spot in the 400-meter, touting a “now or never” attitude.

“With this being the first time I run the 400 during the outdoor season, I'm really focused on posting a fast time,” Clay said. “I love running at OSU. They have a great track and good competition; everything I need to run fast. I'm just focusing on basic race strategies and feeling good as the weekend approaches. I know I can run a PR this weekend.”

Junior hurdler Layne Baggett has participated in numerous events this year, also helping win the 4x100-meter relay last weekend, but Baggett has been adamant about maintaining her focus on her goals of defending her 100 meter hurdle title and qualifying for the NCAAs.

“I feel pretty good after having a solid home meet last weekend,” Baggett said. “I'm looking forward to competing against some of the best and I'm just hoping this weekend I can run even faster. As long as I stick to my theme of staying focused on my race, then I should be fine.”

Despite several members of the team resting up this weekend, Miami should not disappoint as they seek another strong performance coming down the stretch of the season.