DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle track and field teams will be hosting their annual Spikes Classic this weekend. Over 1300 athletes will be competing at the Embry-Riddle Track Complex, including a number of professionals who will be looking to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Sam Vazquez, who ran track at ERAU from 2009-11 and who won a national championship in the 1000m at the 2011 NAIA Indoor National Championships, will be competing in the 1500m. Vazquez competed in the 15000m at the 2012 Summer Olympics, representing Puerto Rico.

Joanna Atkins is an American sprinter who won the 400m at the 2009 NCAA Division I Outdoor National Championships while competing for Auburn. She was also a member Team USA's 4x400m relay team at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics. This weekend, Atkins is entered in the 100m and 200m dashes. In 2014, she posted an 11.02 in the 100m and a 22.27 in the 200m, both of which were ranked as the fastest times by an American that year.

Cameron Hudson previously competed for the University of Alabama where he was a three-time All-American in 2015. He is entered in the 100m and 200m dashes this weekend. Last year Hudson ran a 10.17 in the 100m prelims at the SEC Championships and placed ninth in the final with a time of 10.33.

Also competing in the 100m is Michael Mathieu, a Bahamian sprinter who was part of the silver medal-winning team in the 4x400m relay at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the gold medal-winning team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. His personal best in the 100m is 10.18, set last year.

Selim Nurudeen is from Nigeria and will be competing in the 200m and the 110m hurdles. He has represented Nigeria in the Summer Olympics in 2008 and 2012 and won the silver medal in the 110m hurdles at the 2010 African Championships with a time of 13.83.

Chaunté Lowe is the American record holder in the high jump both indoors (2.02m) and outdoors (2.05m). She won the high jump at the 2015 USA Outdoor National Championships with a height of 1.91m and is a seven-time USATF Outdoor High Jump champion. Lowe will be competing in the heptathlon this week, which consists of the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump and javelin.

In addition to the Olympic hopefuls, the Embry-Riddle Track Complex will see hundreds of high school and collegiate student-athletes competing. Friday's events will be exclusively collegiate and professional athletes, with Saturday featuring approximately 600 high schoolers in addition to the approximately 700 collegiate and professional athletes.