The Wildcats will be host to the Ward Haylett Invitational, the team's only outdoor home meet of the season. The meet is scheduled to start with the women's hammer throw at 11 a.m. at R.V. Christian Track.

The invitational is also the main event of the team's reunion weekend, which invites former athletes, friends and family back to Manhattan.

"It's really exciting to be at home because then all of our friends and family that live around here get to come and watch everybody," said sophomore thrower Loren Groves. "This weekend is the alumni meet, so there are a few throwers that graduated a few years back that are going to come and watch, so that's really exciting."

Though the invitational does not attract crowds as large as other historic meets the Wildcats have competed in this season, it is always nice to have a home crowd, said senior jumper Bryce Bergman. "The crowd is a huge thing, especially for me in the pole vault," he said.

While the meet offers the Wildcats the only opportunity of the outdoor season to stay at home, Rovelto said he wouldn't want to host many meets.

"I think if you host a lot of meets, it can wear and tear on your own staff that have to be involved in putting it on," Rovelto said. "In the end, it would probably get a little old if you were home all the time, but occasionally I think it's great."

The Wildcats have not competed at home in the outdoor season since they hosted the Ward Haylett Invitational in 2006, but they hope to gain an edge over the competition by competing at their own facilities.

While competing at home provides a welcome relief from travel, it also can create an opportunity for the Wildcats to lose focus.

"It's always really nice to know that you get to stay in your own bed the night before a meet instead of a hotel, but sometimes it seems like we are more lax and not as focused as we would be if we were away," Groves said. "I pretty much try to do what I would do before any other meet."

The Wildcats have been chasing good weather on the road all outdoor season and are looking forward to good weather at their own track.

"I think it will be a good change," Bergman said. "We haven't really had any good weather this year, yet."

While some events will be more competitive than others, Rovelto said overall, the meet should draw quality competitors. He said the meet used to pit K-State vs. Nebraska, with the colleges rotating as host schools, but the regional qualifying format means the meet attracts more schools.

"Years ago, this meet was basically a duel between us and Nebraska, and it was awesome," Rovelto said. "I mean it was a very good, high quality meet."