The UCSB track and field team packs its bags to travel down to the San Gabriel Valley today to compete in the Mount Sac Relays and the Bryan Clay Invitational.

Both events will be held at Azusa Pacific’s Cougar Athletic Stadium. The Mount Sac Relays will be held all day starting today and Thursday. The Bryan Clay Invitational will begin action on Friday.

The Gauchos have been on a consistent stretch in their last couple of meets, setting personal bests in the prestigious Stanford Invitational and making a run against in-conference competition in the Big West Challenge Cup.

The men’s team finished second in the Big West Challenge Cup last Friday, falling to an experienced Long Beach State team 181 to 222[[ok]]. Despite the loss, UCSB is still in very good shape for postseason play. The men’s team holds the first spot in the Big West Conference with a record of 8-1.

The women’s team also had struggles overcoming this veteran Long Beach State squad. The 49ers gave problems on both ends of the Big West Challenge Cup as their women’s team took first place with a score of 187.5. Although the match was within five points the majority of the meet, UCSB finished third with a score of 178.

The women’s team stands at 5-4 on the year for in-conference competition.

Both teams head in to their track meets with confidence, however, as they hope to rally back in both the Bryan Clay Invitational and Mt. Sac Relays.

The Gauchos will send a select group of individuals to the Bryan Clay Invitational. Participants are undisclosed at the moment. Competition will begin at 7:30 a.m. with the men’s 5000m and end at 10:45 p.m. with the women’s 5000m. Each match is pivotal for the Gauchos in gaining some momentum and ending regular season play on a good note.

Just like in the Bryan Clay Invitational, a select number of Gauchos will participate in the Mt. Sac Relay today and tomorrow. Athletes from around the world will be competing in the relay event, so this stands as an important match for the men’s and women’s teams to distinguish themselves.

The relays will be held all day and will feature events ranging from the 100m to the 10,000m.

Some athletes to look out for this weekend include senior thrower Albert Hughes, senior sprinter Jessica Johnson and junior distance runner Bryan Guijarro.

Hughes placed second in the hammer competition last Friday with a high score of 196’6”. He will lead things off for the Gauchos on Friday at 10 a.m. with the hammer competition as well.

Last week’s Big West Honorable Mention Jessica Johnson looks to improve her season best time of 53.98 as she participates in the 400m at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Johnson moved to third all-time in UCSB history with her performance at the Big West Challenge Cup.

Guijarro, who also earned himself a Big West Honorable Mention, will compete with Anthony Ortolan in the 5,000m on Friday.