LOS ANGELES - The UCLA track and field team will open the 2017 indoor season on Friday, Jan. 27-28 at the Columbia East-West Challenge in The Armory in New York. The event is hosted by Columbia University, and it will feature some of the elite collegiate teams coast-to-coast.

UCLA will be competing alongside host Columbia, Cornell, UConn, Penn, Harvard, and Pac-12 foe Oregon. Friday's action will begin with the women's 60m hurdles at 11:30 a.m. PT. Saturday gets going with the women's mile at 3 p.m. PT.

The Bruins return All-American talent coupled with another top-ranked recruiting class. Competing this weekend for UCLA will be NCAA Indoor All-American Dotun Ogundeji. He will be joined by NCAA Outdoor national meet qualifiers Austin Hazel and Rai Benjamin for the men and Jessie Maduka, Suzie Acolatse and Angie Annelus for the women.

Benjamin will be returning to his home state of New York where he has blistered the Armory track during his prep career at Mount Vernon High School.

Newcomers from the highly touted class that will be making their UCLA debut are Celera Barnes, Mikella Lefebvre-Oatis, Riley Kelly, Tyler Janes, Isaiah Holmes and Tobia Bocchi.

UCLA will then travel to College Station, Texas for the Charlie Thomas Invitational at Texas A&M on Feb. 3-4.