UCLA, Arizona State, Arizona, Nebraska, Michigan and IU competed between the two power conferences at Arizona State, as they split the series between a Big Ten men’s victory and a Pac 12 women’s victory.
Even though IU underwhelmed as a whole, finishing fifth overall in men’s and last in women’s, the team still claimed three victories.
Three other individuals broke into the top-five in IU history in their events.
“It all has to do with the climate that we’re trying to create,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said about the team’s constant improvement. “Each individual is responsible for their own job, and it’s dangerous to rest on any performance this early in the season.”
Freshman middle distance runner Daniel Kuhn set the third-fastest 800-meter run time in IU history with 1:47.80, while freshman thrower Andrew Miller tied down the third-best hammer throw mark with a personal record of 64.31 meters. Both athletes finished second in their events.
Sophomore Nakel McClinton dismantled the school record in the women’s hammer throw with her launch of 59.66 meters and finished first in ?the field.
“My goal was actually 60 meters, but I fell short of that a little bit,” said McClinton, who finished fifth in the weight throw at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in February. “I was kind of disappointed with my performance in indoors, so it feels good to start outdoors by setting this ?record.”
The week of the Big Ten Indoor Championships, McClinton began to master the footwork necessary for long weight-throw tosses, similar to the hammer throw in outdoor season.
She has not only reached her goal of breaking the school record, but she has done it with the entire outdoor season in front of her.
“There are a lot of important meets between now and outdoor Big Tens, but a Big Ten Championship is always in the back of my mind,” McClinton said.
On the track, Kuhn looks eerily similar to sophomore 800-meter record holder Tre’tez Kinnaird. Then-freshman Kinnaird ran the second-fastest time in IU history ?with 1:47.13.
Now that the two athletes train together, it would not be surprising to see head-to-head competition before the end of the outdoor season.
“Without Tre, I wouldn’t have anyone pushing me as much as he does,” Kuhn said. “We make each other better, and, without a doubt, we could be one of the best duos in the nation by the end of our time.”
Apart from McClinton in the hammer throw, senior Evan Esselink took first place in the IU top-four sweep of the men’s 1500-meter run, while junior Brianna Johnson triumphed in the women’s 3K steeplechase.
Arizona was not the only place IU track and field competed, though, as the four-day nationwide Texas Relays meet at the University of Texas came to a close Saturday.
Junior decathletes Stephen Keller and Dylan Anderson took home third- and fifth-place finishes Wednesday and Thursday respectively with overall personal records for each athlete.
Junior women’s pole vaulter Sophie Gutermuth also made IU history as she set her outdoor personal record of 4.35 meters, third-highest in school history, but finished in just fifth place in a tough field of competition.
“I’m not too worried about this group settling on early performances,” Helmer said. “They’ll keep pressing hard and trust in their work. It’s the group that still produces mediocre performances that I’m more concerned with. They need to break out a bit.”
IU will travel to Palo Alto, Calif., next weekend to participate in the Stanford ?Invitational.
“These meets are good for the athletes who train all year for outdoors,” Helmer said. “Everyone needs that positive reinforcement and to see that there is a pay off for ?their work.”
