Dartmouth's Ben Colello clears the bar during the pole vault while competing in the heptathlon, a seven event competition at the 2018 Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Track and Field Championships in Hanover, N.H., on Feb. 25, 2018. (Valley News - Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Dartmouth's Ben Colello clears the bar during the pole vault while competing in the heptathlon, a seven event competition at the 2018 Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Track and Field Championships in Hanover, N.H., on Feb. 25, 2018. (Valley News - Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Credit: Valley News file — Jennifer Hauck

Hanover — The Dartmouth College track and field teams don’t get to host many outdoor meets, and it’s meaningful to the Big Green athletes when they can. When one of those meets is a regional championship, it’s an even bigger deal.

Dartmouth hosts the New England Outdoor Championship meet today and Saturday.

Nearly 50 schools from all three NCAA divisions are sending teams to the championship, which is run by the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association. It’s the 131st championship for the men and the 39th for the women.

The Dartmouth men lead all teams in titles with 23, winning the first ever meet back in 1887. However, the Big Green have not finished atop the podium since 1995, a stretch they look to snap at home. The Dartmouth women are seeking their first title and will have to unseat two-time reigning champion Northeastern to do so.

This meet provides teams not only the opportunity to make the claim as the best in New England, but it also gives student-athletes one final shot to post qualifying standards for the NCAA East Regional in two weeks. The top 48 athletes in each event nationally receive invitations to continue their seasons in Tampa, Fla., with a shot at nationals on the line.

Memorial Field will host all running events as well as the shot put, pole vault, high jump, long jump and triple jump. The discus, hammer and javelin will take place in the areas adjacent to Scully-Fahey Field.

The women’s heptathlon and men’s decathlon kick the meet into gear at noon today. The championship closes around 4 p.m. on Saturday with the 4×800 and 4×400 relays.

Admission to the meet is free. Live results can be found at www.lancertiming.com.