Heat can't keep Hoosiers from NCAAs

With temperatures hovering at or above 90 degrees, IU men's track team's top stars qualified for the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the NCAA Regional meet this weekend at Louisiana State University. \nThe best result came from junior All-American Aarik Wilson, who set a new personal best and school record in the triple jump en route to a second place finish. His mark of 16.91 meters, while short of the phenomenal jump of winner LeeVan Sands of Auburn (17.30), broke Robert Cannon's 1978 school record of 16.87. Wilson currently ranks second in the nation and will be a strong contender for the NCAA triple jump title.\nFreshman All-American and Big Ten champion David Neville finished third in the 400 meters. His 45.88 seconds puts him consistently running under 46 seconds and indicates a shot at running even faster at the NCAA Championships. Even though Neville narrowly missed qualifying for the finals of the 200 meters at the Regional, his mark of 20.38 from the Big Ten Championships still garnered him an at-large bid to NCAAs, and he will compete in both events. \n"I admit the weather had an effect on my performance," Neville said of the blistering heat. "My legs felt a little tight at the start of the 400, so I just tried to get through the race."\nWhile the heat is only a nuisance for field events and sprints, it is treacherous on distance athletes.\nSenior All-American Chris Powers got a slight reprieve from the heat in the 5,000 meters, as the evening produced temperatures in the upper 70s. Powers, ranked 10th in the NCAA with a personal best of 13 minutes, 48 seconds, used a strong late-race surge to stick with the front pack and finish third in a tactical 14:18, securing his first bid to the outdoor championships.\n"It was pretty hot, but it'll be the same in Austin," Powers said of the NCAA Championships site at the University of Texas scheduled for June 9-12. "It was good to prep for NCAA's."\nThe brunt of the heat was felt by sophomore All-American Sean Jefferson, who competed in the 1500-meters. The final was held at midday in stifling 101-degree temperatures. Jefferson, a Florida native, conserved his energy and moved from last in the final 600 meters to finish fourth and secure an automatic bid to compete in the Championships.\n"All of these races are to prepare for the Olympic Trials," Jefferson said after the Home Depot Invitational two weeks ago. "The guys I saw at Home Depot and the guys that'll be at NCAAs are the competition for the Trials."\nIn addition to these four, junior Jake Wiseman will compete at the NCAA Championships in the decathlon on the strength of his Big Ten Championships performance. Wiseman enters the meet seeded at No. 17. \n-- Contact staff writer Rob DeWitte at rdewitte@indiana.edu .