IU achieves highest ranking

No. 11. \nNot since 1987 have the Hoosiers been ranked this high. Heading into the Regional Championships last weekend, IU was able to say they were one of the top 15 teams in the nation. \nThe No. 11 ranking is the highest the Hoosier cross country program has been since they placed 10th in the National Championships 16 years ago. \nAlthough today's Mondo/Apple Raceberry Jam polls dropped the Hoosiers down to No. 19 after their fifth place Regional finish, it makes no difference to the team.\n"For me and the team it is really not that big of a deal, it is just what other people think," sophomore Sean Jefferson said. "I'd rather have us think about what we are going to place at Nationals than worry about the polls."\nThe NCAA does not make a poll for cross country, but the weekly polls are voted on by members from the United States Cross Country Coaches Association. \nIn his sixth year, IU coach Robert Chapman first saw his guys break into the rankings in 2000 and Chapman believes that meant a lot to the team. But now that the Hoosiers have consistently been in the top 25, it is not as important anymore.\n"We finally had something tangible that told the team that they were among the nation's best, besides just having me tell them every day," Chapman said. "Now since we've been pretty consistent in the polls for the last four years, it's not that big of a deal. Our team knows they are one of the nation's best, without having some piece of paper telling them that."\nThe rankings are somewhat of an indicator to what teams the Hoosiers want to beat. But Jefferson said he knows that, just like his coach said, these polls are just a piece of paper.\n"We know the southern teams are not as good as we are, but they had a weaker regional," Jefferson said. "We know we can beat them even though they (are) ranked ahead of us."\nThe Hoosiers say they know which ones they can beat.\n"The polls don't really play a factor heading into nationals and looking at certain teams," senior Chris Powers said. "We know the teams we need to beat and the ones we need to key on."\nCoach Chapman issued the same sentiments, saying the polls may play somewhat of a psychological effect. \nAlthough the Hoosiers finished fifth in their regional, causing them to drop from No. 11 to No. 19, they know all of the team members did not run their best race, and this has not happened yet all year. \n"We all haven't even run our best race yet as a team," Jefferson said. "If we all do that at nationals then we can definitely be in the top 10."\n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.