Indiana Relays inspire NCAA tourney hopes

Undefeated in dual and triangular competition, the women's track team will have an opportunity to compete individually this weekend. IU is hosting the 28th annual Indiana Relays 4 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday. Seventeen teams from eight conferences will come to compete in the Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse, all hoping to improve personal records and to qualify for the NCAA tournament.\nCoach Randy Heisler said he is looking forward to the two-day extravaganza with an optimistic outlook. "By the end of this weekend, I would like to have a number of athletes qualify for Nationals and many others improve their standard," Heisler said. "I want to have an IU runner win every event."\nLooking ahead to next week's competition at Penn State, athletes will be concentrating on specific events rather than participating in multiple events. In concentrating on the athletes' best events, Heisler predicts that more athletes will have the opportunity to qualify for Nationals. "The best case scenario would be to have 12 athletes qualify," Heisler said.\nJunior Rose Richmond, 2001 outdoor track and field Big Ten champion in the long jump, will be competing this weekend. Richmond has not competed in the past two meets. "I consider myself two or three weeks behind, but I think I'll be fresher," Richmond said. With qualifying for the NCAA a high priority, Richmond will only compete in the long-jump this Friday. \n "I want a provisional, at least a provisional; a high provisional," Richmond said. " I just want to feel one hundred percent."\n Senior Tia Trent will be back as well. "At the beginning of the season, I ran her in the 1600 and then she got the flu," Heisler said. "This weekend she will run her true event (400-meter)."\nFreshman pole vaulter, Emily Tharpe, has her eyes on a provisional as well. "We've been working on changing a lot of things," Tharpe said. "I've got my techniques down and I just want to make provisional. Just four or five more inches, maybe a little higher, will work"