While the rest of the campus is still in class, the Massachusetts men’s and women’s indoor track teams will be en route to Boston University to compete in the New England Championships, bringing 10 women and six men.

Three athletes hit the road before the UMass campus begins to stir. Crystal Therrien, Ashley Creel and Nastaran Shams start the pentathalon at 10:15 a.m., while the rest of the events begin that evening, with the top performers in each event qualifying for the finals the next day. Shannon Jackson starts the meet off for the Minutewomen in the 55 meter hurdles; she’s ranked ninth going into the event. Defending Atlantic 10 Champion Elisabeth Budd and Kishana Hudson are competing in the 500 meter, where Budd is ranked third.

Kristen Ford is ranked fifth in the open 800 meter, and Troyanah Evans and Kishana Hudson will also represent the team in the 200 meter race.

The distance medley relay (DMR) is extremely competitive. Alexis Anzelone leads off in the 1200 meter, Budd and Ford return to run the 400 and 800 meter legs and Kate Markopoulos is the anchor running the mile. They finished an outstanding second to LaSalle last Saturday at the Atlantic 10 Championships, and their time of 12:15.81 catapulted them straight into the fast section of the finals. The only uncertainty is Anzelone, who suffered a muscle injury earlier this week. She has been recuperating since, and LaFreniere has hopes for a top five finish if Anzelone is fully recovered.

“There are six teams ahead of us, but often the relay members get switched around,” LaFreniere said. “Plus, Markopoulos and Anzelone will be fresh, and I’m confident that Budd and Ford will have enough time to recover from their earlier races to run at 100 percent.”

The Massachusetts men’s indoor track squad will be sending six representatives to the New England Championships this weekend.

“We could have squeezed out a qualifying spot or two more in the New Englands, but I think all of the kids who would score at the New Englands have already qualified,” coach Ken O’Brien said.

“The guys who are actually are going to score points will have already done the qualifying spots. The kids who couldn’t qualify will probably end up running relays for us.”

Among those qualified are top sprinters like Kwesi Frimpong-Boateng. Last weekend he defended his Atlantic 10 55 meter dash title successfully, taking first in 6.34 seconds – just one hundredth of a second off his personal best – at Rhode Island. A threat every time he steps into the blocks, Frimpong-Boateng has yet to lose a race, either in preliminary or final rounds, this season, and should be the favorite.

At the last meet on BU’s track, distance runner Jon Korhonen took a feeble 39th in the 3000. However, the junior has been stronger lately, taking a New England-qualifying fourth in the mile in 4:18.29 last weekend.

Korhonen should have better luck this weekend running in his forte event.

Korhonen will also join John Jacobsen, Dave McMenamy and Matt Clark in the two-mile relay this weekend. Last Saturday, the four took a third-place finish in 7:56.62 to punch their ticket to Boston.

Another relay taking charge on Saturday will be the mile relay team of Dave Falvey, James Godinho, John O’Neil and Joseph McCormack. At Rhode Island, the four finished in 3:20.31, good enough for second and a lane at this weekend’s meet.

Godinho and O’Neil will also race in the 500 at the Championships. They qualified thanks to a 4-5 finish in the A-10 Championships.