Wilson jumps to 2 NCAA championships

The Hoosiers entered the 2005 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships with aspirations of national glory. Returning two NCAA runners-up and one reigning NCAA champion, IU seemed guaranteed to impress on the nation's biggest stage. The team did not disappoint, finishing fifth in the nation, the highest NCAA finish of any IU squad during the winter sports season.\nLeading the charge was the NCAA's premier horizontal jumper, All-American Aarik Wilson. The junior from Fallon, Nev., took two dramatic title victories in the long jump and triple jump. \nFriday evening in the long jump, Wilson -- recently named Great Lakes Athlete of the Year by the United States Track Coaches Association -- entered the final round of jumps in second place. Though his personal best, set just one week before, was significantly better than the leading jump, he had yet to near that mark. He didn't waste his final opportunity, launching himself out to a new personal best and IU school record of 8.17-meters to take home his first NCAA championship by a handy margin. \n"I felt really good coming in," Wilson said. "It's just an amazing feeling. I've worked so hard and wouldn't have been satisfied with another second-place." \nHigh-jump coach Wayne Pate said he expected Wilson to earn a national title.\n"We have been aiming for this since Aarik got to Indiana," Pate said. "It's so nice to see him finally win after all the hard work. He has trained hard all year long and I expected nothing less than an NCAA title from him."\nAfter the long jump, IU's other competitors took to the track. IU had plenty to get excited about despite sophomore David Neville narrowly missing the fastest NCAA 200-meter final ever, where Arkansas sophomore Wallace Spearmon blazed 20.10, the second-fastest indoor time in world history.\nJunior All-Americans Sean and John Jefferson qualified for the mile final, each running times of 4:04. Later, junior Stephen Haas ran the 5,000 meters in 13:51 to finish ninth and grab his first All-America award. \nWilson returned to the runway the following afternoon, where he wasted no time leaping into the lead. He emerged from the pit with a mark of 16.92-meters, more than a foot better than second place, good for his second NCAA title in as many days. \n"It was an ecstatic feeling to win the long jump yesterday, but I feel even better today," Wilson said. "It has taken three years to reach this goal. It feels good to get the weight off my shoulders. Coach Pate is the best at what he does. I wouldn't be here if he hadn't helped me so much over the years."\nIn a crowded mile final, Sean and John Jefferson spent much of the time stuck in the middle of the pack. As the field thinned over the final four-hundred meters, Sean Jefferson quickly moved from fifth to second chasing Michigan Olympian Nick Willis, but there wasn't enough track left to catch him. Jefferson finished second with a time of 4:01.56. John Jefferson soon followed, passing several runners in the final lap to finish in 4:03.96 and grab seventh place, good for his third All-American award in the event. \nHaas followed this performance with his second-straight All-American award in the 3,000-meters, finishing 12th in 8:11.52. \n"Overall, we had a really good meet," said IU head coach Randy Heisler. "The Jeffersons ran really well and I was happy to see Stephen (Haas) earn All-American." \n-- Contact Staff Writer Rob \nDeWitte at rdewitte@indiana.edu.