The mission this week is simple: divide and conquer.

This weekend Alabama’s track and field teams will split up. Several of the distance runners will compete in the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut, California. The rest of the team will also head west, where it will compete in the John Jacobs Invitational in Norman, Oklahoma.

Coach Dan Waters said this weekend is an important one for the teams. He said these meets could set the teams up for the home stretch of the season.

“We need to stay sharp mentally and maintain an edge competitively,” he said. “It’s imperative that we meet our potential every time out.”

Junior Katelyn Greenleaf said the runners racing in the Mt. SAC Relays are hoping to set personal records this weekend. She said she took last week off to remain as fresh as possible.

“This is probably our best shot at getting a good mark for going into the end of the season,” she said. “Mt. SAC is really good for the distance runners, because out in California it’s basically perfect conditions.”

Fellow junior Justin Fondren said he does not think splitting the team up will negatively impact the athletes. He said the coaches know what they are doing and he is just focused on reaching his own potential this weekend.

“It’s just getting back into the groove and moving up and getting to where I need to be,” he said. “It’s a process and I know that my time’s coming.”

Greenleaf said everyone has contributed to the success the teams have had recently. She said recent meets have allowed some of the younger members on the team to share in that success.

Fondren said it is important not to overlook any meets. He said he sees every single meet as a chance to improve his craft and the team is just now starting to buy into that approach and this will help the team finish the season strong.

“We kind of set a standard,” he said. “[We are] just being consistent and being consistently good and always improving and showing that we are some of the best athletes [in the country].”