For the Kent State track team, the St. Patrick’s Day celebration will last a little bit longer.

The team will compete today and Saturday in the Shamrock Invitational in Conway, S.C., their first outdoor meet of the 2005 season.

More than 30 teams from across the country will participate.

“We were looking for a place where there was warm weather early in the season,” coach Wendel McRaven said. “We also wanted to be at a meet that was a reasonably close place to travel to.”

In the past, the team has traveled to outdoor meets in California, Florida and Arizona.

Because Cleveland and South Carolina are roughly at the same altitude, McRaven said there should not be a downgrade in the team’s performance.

“If you are at 4,000 feet or above, there will be physiological differences in your performance compared to a lower altitude,” he said. “The Shamrock meet is a good, low-key, early season meet to open outdoor season.”

—Josh Echt