Men up for challenge

After finishing second between Ohio State and Purdue in Columbus, Ohio, last Saturday, the men's track team is heading south to Missouri to compete against the Tigers, Nebraska and Wichita State. Each team has individual strengths the Hoosiers will have to contend with.\nMissouri, traditionally a strong team in the middle distances, provides several events IU athletes don't run very often, including a 1000-meter. The meet will also feature an 800-meter and a 600-meter. Senior Rodney Hollis took the bronze medal in the 600-meter at last year's Big Ten Indoor Championships but will compete in the 800-meter at Missouri.\n"So far, I've just been running 800's," Hollis said. "I won last weekend, but I didn't have to run very fast. After this weekend, we'll know which event I'm going to focus on. If I don't run the 600 at Big Tens, my brother Russell will take care of it."\nMissouri will also offer a pair of distance runners their first opportunity to race. Newly-minted cross- country All-American junior Chris Powers and sophomore Stephen Haas are slated to run the 3,000, while most other distance runners will get the weekend off in preparation of a fast invitational mile at the Indiana Invitational. \n"We're planning on just going out and seeing what he can do," says Haas. "It's our first race, but we've been running some phenomenal workouts, so we should be ready to run pretty fast. After the race, we'll have a better idea of what we're capable of." \nNone of the teams IU will race against are exceptionally strong in the distance events. While Powers and Haas will race for the first time, others will run atypical events. Junior Charlie Koeppen will take a crack at the mile, an event he rarely runs. \n"I haven't raced a mile since my senior year of high school," says Koeppen,. "So, since I don't have a clue what I can do, and it's more for training, I'm just going to have fun with it and see if I can get a personal best." \nBoth Missouri and Nebraska are perennial powerhouses in the throwing events, with Nebraska's Carl Myerscough the reigning NCAA indoor and outdoor shot put champion. The IU throwing corps is determined and ready for a spirited competition. Freshman IU hurdler Stephanos Ioannou, fresh off a win in Columbus, will also have his hands full with three solid Nebraska 60-meter hurdlers.\n"Missouri and Nebraska are serious powers in the throws," senior thrower Mike Minton said. "We know they're going to be tough, and we're expecting the level of competition to bring out the best in us."\nAfter the Missouri meet, IU returns home for the Indiana Invitational at the IU indoor track, located in the Gladstein Fieldhouse. \n-- Contact staff writer Rob DeWitte at rdewitte@indiana.edu.