Led by the track and field team's top multi-event athletes, a group of eight Wildcats will compete at the Nebraska Open Sunday in Lincoln, Neb.

The group includes the men's top decathletes, freshmen Moritz Cleve and Rok Derzanic and junior Adam Fretwell, as well as two of the women's heptathletes, freshman Annika Schoenebeck and senior Lindsay Grigoriev.

The number of Wildcats headed to Lincoln is relatively small because some team members have been competing in the Drake Relays, in Des Moines, Iowa, since Thursday, while many others have the weekend off.

Head track and field coach Cliff Rovelto said the number of athletes he will send to the Nebraska Open could change, as some Wildcats who competed Thursday and today at Drake could travel to Lincoln to compete again on Sunday. The group of Wildcats in Lincoln will still be mostly multi-event and field athletes, he said.

"Most of the heptathletes and decathletes are going to do something there," Rovelto said. "Then there's also a couple of other jumpers ­- our younger jumpers are going to do some events there. There'll probably be some middle-distance kids as well. Some of that may depend on what goes on at Drake."

The athletes headed to Lincoln look to make the finals in their respective events. Rovelto said at this time in the season, it is important for the Wildcats - especially the field and multi-event athletes - to get multiple attempts in a competition. A smaller meet, like the Nebraska Open, provides a better opportunity for the Wildcats to make the final in their respective events and get more competition.

Many of the Wildcats would struggle to qualify for a final at the Drake Relays, or would not qualify for the meet at all, because only a set number of athletes are accepted into each event, making it very competitive.

"The decathletes and heptathletes - they're not going to qualify for any individual events at Drake, because they don't have a single event that would get them into the meet," Rovelto said. "At Nebraska, they can do two or three events to prepare for combined event competition coming down the road. So, that's why it's a much, much better meet for them. If they go to Drake, they may just have an opportunity to do one event, but at Nebraska, they can do two or three events."

While the decathletes will compete in several events this weekend, they won't have a chance to compete in a full decathlon until the Big 12 Conference Outdoor Championships, which begin May 16 in Boulder, Colo.