NATCHEZ — The Natchez High track and field team will be traveling to Hattiesburg to compete in the University of Southern Mississippi Invitational, and coach Larry Wesley is expecting for his team to have a good meet.

“This has always been a good meet for us,” Wesley said. “We’ve had two (high school) meets before this but this is what I call an elite meet at a college campus.”

The Bulldogs competed in the Summer Hill High School Meet in Kentwood, La. on March 1 and the West Feliciana High School Meet last weekend, but this meet at Southern Miss is a big one.

“We usually have just one meet before this meet but this year we’ve had two,” Wesley said. “We’re ready for this one.”

Wesley said he is expecting good things from several of his athletes.

Some of the athletes Wesley expects to perform well on the boys side are Rico Richardson in the long jump, Jeremy Davis in the 100 and 200 meters, Wesley Pennington in the 300 meter hurdles, Larry Brown in the shotput and Reggie Thomas in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters.

On the girls side, Wesley said he expects Sierra Bates to perform well in the 200 and 300 meters, Jessica Gayle to place well in the 400 meters and Pam Selmon to have a good race in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters.

Wesley said he and his team enjoy going to the Southern Miss meet as well as all the other college meets because it helps the track athletes get their names out to college coaches.

“This is why we go to these college meets, to show off the talent we have in Natchez,” Wesley said. “We have two people go to USM now that used to run for us. It gives the kids a chance to show themselves off.”

After the Southern Miss meet, the Natchez High track team will compete in two more college meets, at Mississippi State on March 28, and Mississippi College on April 5 before the district, regional and state meets roll around at the end of April and beginning of May.