Outdoor season starts

This weekend the men's track and field team scatters as part of the team will travel to Gainesville, Fla., for the Florida Relays and others will meet in an open meet at Purdue to begin their outdoor season. \nThe team just finished its indoor season at Fayetteville, Ark., at the indoor NCAA Championships where sophomores Aarik Wilson and John Jefferson led the team to a eighth place finish. Now the team sets its sights on the Big Ten Championships where it has aspirations for a team title.\nWilson and Jefferson each were national runners-up at the NCAA Championship meet and will be vital for the success of the outdoor season as well. \nWilson placed second in the triple jump on his way to shattering the 30-year-old school record by over a foot and also placed sixth in the long jump. Jefferson used an incredible kick to catch eight runners in the final 150 meters and place second in the mile.\n"We're a mature enough team and a smart enough team to know that we've got others coming who weren't there for the outdoor season," coach Marshall Goss said. "With that it gives us a springboard to jump off into an excellent outdoor season."\nThe team will travel lightly this weekend, leaving many athletes behind. Team scores will not be kept at the meet, but the Hoosiers expect strong performances from their runners. After spending much of the indoor season reeling from injury, the team is finally regaining its health.\n"The health of the team is so important," junior Ryan Sarbinoff said. "It can make or break a season depending on how healthy everyone is."\nSarbinoff is one of the team's top sprinters and returning from a lingering hamstring injury.\nAfter racing every weekend from mid-January until the Big Ten Championships on March 1-2, most athletes have had a month to rest since then. Now the team once again resumes their schedule of racing every weekend until May 16-17 when it competes in the outdoor Big Ten Championships. \nWilson said that he is even more competitive after his runner-up finish at the indoor NCAA Championships. \n"You can say that I'm mad that I didn't win," Wilson said. "I don't plan on losing another national championship."\nThe team finished fifth at the indoor Big Ten Championships at Champaign, Ill. Goss said that he expects the team to be much stronger for the outdoor season. The team has been reliant on several young athletes who are continually developing to help the team's success, such as Wilson and Jefferson. Also, several veterans who will contribute this season traditionally perform better at the end of the season, which will be beneficial for the outdoor season.\n"It'll be good to get that first meet out and set the tone for the rest of the season," Goss said.