 |
DyeStat 2001 Outdoor
May24-26 , 2001 at U. of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM
26th Great Southwest Classic
The meet moves to Albuquerque NM this year as long-time meet director Clyde Volz retires.
Golden Harper caught Jon Severy in the stretch
of the 3200
meters, one of the most exciting races in the 2000 meet
Originally conceived as a
post-season invitational for the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, the
Southwest Classic debuted in 1930 and was conducted until the Depression caused
the meet to close in 1933. An organization of coaches and track officials
resurrected the meet in 1978 with 125 invited athletes from the states of
Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. The meet has grown to include over
300 invited athletes from the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada,
Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah. Presently the Great Southwest Classic is recognized
as one of the top 4 postseason regional/national track and field invitationals
in the nation.
2001 will be the 26th edition of the Southwest Classic.
The major purpose of the Southwest Classic is to provide the outstanding boy and
girl athletes in each state the opportunity to compete in regional invitational
meet. Over the years the quality of the competition has resulted in national
rankings and recognition for the athletes. Many of the
participating athletes have received college scholarships as a result of their
performances at the meet, in addition to being invited to national invitational
meets. A number of Southwest Classic alums have gone on to compete in the
Olympic Games, U.S. Olympic Trials, as well as NCAA Championships.
The format of the meet is a "go for broke" competition -- no heats, no
trials, no team score pressures. The meet features 3 relay events (4 x 800, 4 x
400, 4 x 100) which the selection committee has the option of inviting the
state's all-star relay members and/or a school team that represents their state.
