Jan. 5, 2007

The Big Ten men's indoor track & field season opens this weekend as Indiana and Illinois begin competition.

The Hoosiers, who posted the second-best Big Ten team score at last year's NCAAs, kick off their campaign at the Indiana Open while the Illini, who finished third in the 2006 Big Ten Indoor Championships, head to Hanover, N.H., for the Dartmouth Relays.

The eight remaining conference squads open their seasons the weekend of Jan. 12-13.

Three Big Ten teams are listed in the most recent Trackwire 25, which projects team scores for the NCAA Championships. Last year's Big Ten Champion Wisconsin comes in seventh, followed by 2006 runner-up Minnesota in 20th and Indiana in a tie for 24th.