MINOT, N.D. – It'll be a welcome weekend of action in California for the Minot State track and field teams, who haven't had many opportunities so far this outdoor season to compete.

But with four different meets in Southern California, the Beavers will be busy testing their talents as Minot State will be in action Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

The majority of the Beaver men's and women's track and field student-athletes will compete at the University of La Verne's Leopard Invitational on Thursday and Friday, with field events beginning at 11 a.m. (Pacific Time) and running set to start at 2 p.m. (PT) on Thursday. The Leopard Invitational continues Friday with field events getting underway at 10 a.m. (PT), and running starting, once again, at 2 p.m. (PT).

While the majority of the Minot State track and field student-athletes compete at the University of La Verne, a handful of jumpers – Afton Wride, Ally Walcker, Grayson Schaeffer, Brayan Augustin, Khaliel Abdurrahman, Kyra Beckman, and Samuel Butikofer – are scheduled to compete about 40 miles down the road at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate hosted by Long Beach State on Thursday.

Minot State will also send out several competitors on Friday and Saturday for the Beach Invitational, also hosted by Long Beach State.

Meanwhile, 10 miles away from La Verne, the Beavers will compete Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the Bryan Clay Invitational hosted by Azusa Pacific, with Emery Smith getting things started as she runs the 10,000 meters on Thursday.

Throwers Ethan Graham, Kaiya Chell, Jamie Ward, and Ava Ruthven, runners Bailey Wride, Peyton Tuhy, and Justin Williams, and jumpers Afton Wride, Walcker, Schaefer, Augustin, Abdurrahman, Beckman, and Butikofer are also entered to compete at the Azusa Pacific meet during the weekend.

The final meet of the weekend is the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays, where Minot State's Peyton Tuhy will be the Beavers' lone entry as he is slated to run in the 1,500 meters on Friday.

So far this outdoor season, Minot State has competed in two meets, once in March at the Marauders Outdoor Opener, and last weekend at the NDSU Spring Classic.

Despite limited opportunities to compete, Minot State student-athletes have turned in strong performances, led by Augustin, who set a new outdoor NCAA Division II-era school record in the men's long jump with a leap of 23 feet, which ranks him 10th in NSIC this outdoor season.

He is 1 of 6 Beavers currently in the NSIC top 10 as Tuhy ranks No. 3 in the men's 800 meters with a time of 1 minute, 54.44 seconds, Bailey Wride is 5th in the women's 800 with a time of 2:15.92, Holter Bridwell is 8th in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:05.90, Jamie Ward is 10th in the women's discus with a throw of 136-7, and the Beaver men's 4x400 relay team of Tuhy, Camden Jasmin, Cameron Hummel, and Isaac Rathbun, is 7th in the NSIC with a time of 3:39.28.