The IU men’s track and field team was the host of the Gladstein Invitational during the weekend after claiming the number one spot in the initial NCAA dual meet rankings earlier in the week.
IU Coach Ron Helmer said the meet, which took place Friday and Saturday inside Gladstein Fieldhouse, was a good opportunity for his athletes to push themselves against a higher level of competition.
“It was kind of a mixed bag,” Helmer said of the weekend’s results. “There were some really good things, and then there some disappointing moments. Now we have to adjust and just let the positives carry us forward.”
The Hoosiers walked away with only one first place finish Friday. Junior Andrew Miller won the weight throw competition for the third consecutive meet with a distance of 19.80 meters.
Junior Zach Reitzug finished second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.33 seconds. Sophomore Bryce Millar also snagged a second place finish by beating teammates senior Matt Schwartzer and freshman Kyle Mau in the 3,000-meter run. With a five-second improvement on his personal record, Millar’s 8:02.87 is good for the third-best NCAA time and the best in the Big Ten this season.
Freshman William Session captured the fourth-fastest time in IU history in the finals of the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.04 seconds but only secured fourth place in the event.
Helmer still had plenty of praise toward his athletes despite only winning one competition Friday. He said he is happy with the personal improvement made by many of his athletes.
“We had a lot of personal bests,” Helmer said. “Personal records aren’t always noticeable in the picture, but a PR is a PR and it’s a sign that people are moving forward.”
The Hoosiers fared better on day two of the Gladstein Invitational by taking home victories in four events.
Sophomore Daniel Kuhn continued his hot streak by winning the 800-meter run in record fashion. Kuhn’s time of 1:47.03 established a new Gladstein Fieldhouse record and is good for the second-fastest time in the NCAA this season.
“I think mentally he’s very dialed in,” Helmer said of Kuhn. “He’s easy to coach because he trusts what we are doing, and on race days, he always maximizes where we are as a team.”
Kuhn took home the men’s Big Ten runner of the week award last week, but Helmer said he believes Kuhn has room to develop even more.
“His growth is very steady and incremental,” Helmer said. “I don’t think he has come close yet to what he can do. He’s knocking on the door of what he could potentially do, but I really believe there’s still some things we can do as coaches to allow him to continue improving his times.”
IU also captured a victory in the 4x800-meter relay on Saturday with a time of 7:32.95. Senior Jeremy Coughler, freshman Cooper Williams and juniors Jordan Huntoon and Joe Murphy came from behind to win the race and land in IU’s all-time top-10 relay list.
The men’s 4x400-meter relay team also took home first place as Reitzug, sophomore Markevious Roach, freshman Caleb Ojennes and Kuhn earned a time of 3:10.64, sixth-best in IU history.
Roach finished in second in the 200-meter dash. His time of 22.07 was the fastest mark in his career. Helmer said he is looking to get a little bit more from his young sprinter.
“Roach still has some work to do in the 200,” Helmer said. “He’s a great athlete, but he’s got to do more for us.”
