The UW-River Falls men's and women's indoor track & field teams return to competition this weekend, traveling to Eau Claire for the UW-River Falls Dual/Alumni Open, hosted Saturday by the Blugolds.

Saturday's meet will feature a head-to-head competition between UW-River Falls and UW-Eau Claire, their second consecutive season competing together at this event. The inaugural matchup took place last year, serving as an early season measuring stick for both programs. 

The meet will have a full schedule of running and field events throughout the day. Field events will begin late morning at 11 a.m., followed by running events kicking off at 12 p.m. 

FALCONS TO WATCH

Jacob Balcome opened the indoor season with a statement of a performance at the M City Classic, winning the heptathlon with a meet-record 5,240 points. He claimed event wins in the high jump (1.97m), long jump (6.65m), pole vault (4.45m), and 1,000 meters (PR, 2:48.14), while posting top three finishes in the 60m (7.29 seconds), 60m-hurdles (8.60 seconds), and shot put (11.62m). 

Lauryn Schutz enters the weekend in top form following two standout showings in the women's weight throw. Most recently, she claimed first place at St. Scholastica's "The Opener", with a personal-best throw of 17.67 meters, breaking her own program record set just one week earlier at the M City Classic. Her mark currently ranks No. 2 in Division III, making Schutz one of the nation's top contenders in the event heading into Saturday's meet.

The Falcons will look to build off strong early-season results and momentum as they continue their indoor campaign against a familiar WIAC opponent in Eau Claire.