Wilson named Athlete of the Year in the Big Ten

Last weekend's Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships saw the Hoosiers score their highest team finish in more than a decade. Junior Aarik Wilson spearheaded IU's second-place effort winning both the long and triple jumps. Wilson defeated 2004's indoor long-jump champion and vaulted into the national lead in the triple jump by almost half a meter in the process. \nHis performance and season overall earned him both the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year and the Big Ten Indoor Track Athlete of the Championships awards. \n"Aarik did a good job, we were hoping that he would," said IU Associate Coach Wayne Pate. "This is the first meet where he had fresh legs, and it turned out really well, it's what we expected."\nWith only one weekend left until the NCAA Indoor Championships, one meet remains. Some of IU's athletes will travel to a meet at Notre Dame in hopes of attaining, if not an NCAA qualifying mark, at least a fast time. \n"A while back the coaches and I had planned on trying to run a fast one at last-chance," said junior Eric Redman, who will compete in the mile.\nA few athletes typically qualify for the NCAA Championships with their marks from the last-chance meet. Two years ago, John Jefferson snuck into the NCAA Indoor mile off of his win at Notre Dame's last-chance meet, and ended up finishing second in the nation.\nOther times, athletes will compete at a last-chance meet to solidify their bid to nationals if it seems that their place on the descending performance list -- from which NCAA qualifiers are drawn -- is on the bubble.\nThe ticket is punched for most of IU's qualifiers, who used Big Tens as their final prep for Nationals. \n"I'm not going to run last-chance," said junior All-American David Neville. "I was really happy with the way things went at Big Tens, though. I just wish I could've won both of my events, but that time will come." \nOne weekend from now, perhaps the Hoosiers' team title time will come. Boasting five athletes with a legitimate chance at an NCAA title, IU will be one of the teams to watch. \n-- Contact Staff Writer Rob DeWitte at rdewitte@indiana.edu.