This weekend, the Washington track-and-field teams will join over 1,000 athletes from 42 different collegiate teams as they head to the University of Oregon to compete in the Oregon Invitational.

The meet will feature 50 different track and field events; not only will the Huskies have to face their peers in collegiate competition, but some of the nation’s top professional athletes will be present as well.

The action will start Friday night, where distance runners and some field specialists will be the first to grace the track. The rest of the events will begin Saturday afternoon.

After coming off a successful meet last weekend in California and being upset by the Ducks a couple weeks ago at the Pepsi Invitational on the men’s side, the Huskies are ready to put their best foot forward this weekend.

Two athletes that are sure to have eyes on them this weekend are senior Ashley Lodree and freshman Scott Roth. Lodree clocked a 13.06 seconds at last week’s Mt. SAC relays, earning the senior the third fastest time by a female collegian this year, as well as the sixth fastest by an American in 2007. What is even more impressive is that Lodree’s time also ranks her in the top 10 of the world this year.

“Ashley is a great competitor and super confident,” fifth-year coach Greg Metcalf said. “This is the fastest she has ever run in the month of April, and I think she is on to much bigger and better things.”

Proving that experience doesn’t always correlate to success, Roth joined Lodree in the NCAA top five after his performance in the pole vault last weekend. Roth topped 17-3 1/2 to earn him the fifth spot among collegiate athletes this year.

“Scott just loves the pole vault,” Metcalf said. “He is a very special kid with a good head on his shoulders.”

The Granite Bay, Calif. native was the No. 1 high school pole vaulter in the country his senior year.

The Oregon Invitational will continue the streak of back-to-back competitions for the Washington track-and-field team. Metcalf denies this will hurt the team’s performance.

“The hard training is pretty much done,” Metcalf said. “It’s been a long year, and we’ve had some ups and downs, but both teams are capable right now and ready to do great things.”

Reach reporter Rebecca Rogers at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.