Hoosiers finish just outside top 5

The IU men's cross country team tried to make the most of its opportunity at the Great Lakes Regional Saturday, finishing sixth at home with a final score of 172. \nWith senior All-American John Jefferson and freshman Tim McLeod sidelined with stress fractures, the Hoosiers did everything in their power to advance to Monday's NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, assistant coach Nathan Gooden said. \n"On Saturday we challenged five people to run tough," he said. "All of our athletes responded."\nIU was led by Jefferson, who coasted to the finish line third overall alongside Notre Dame junior Kurt Benninger in 31:07.\nThe 10,000-meter race was won by Ohio State senior Brian Olinger in 30:51. The race was controlled by leaders Wisconsin and Notre Dame, each of whom placed the bulk of their athletes in the top 20.\n"I just wanted to stay close to the top five and finish as high as I could to help the team reach nationals," Jefferson said. "This is a pretty tough course compared to most in the country and the coaches wanted us to keep it under control early."\nThe race was the first 10K run of the season. IU's course is packed with hills and uneven terrain, and Jefferson said running at home was a valuable advantage.\n"We run this course four or five times a week, so we know it better than anybody else," Jefferson said. "We know what it takes to do well here."\nSenior Stephen Haas, who has been bothered recently by minor injuries, finished second for IU in 17th. Senior Eric Redman followed him at 31st. Rounding out IU's scoring were junior Marcus Aguilar in 44th and senior Charlie Koeppen in 77th. Redshirt freshmen Brennon Plotner and Chris Honig also competed for IU. \nThe Hoosiers will find out officially whether they qualify for the NCAAs Monday evening when at-large selections are announced. Only the top two teams at each Regional meet automatically advance to the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute Nov. 21. \nRegardless of whether the team qualifies, Sean Jefferson will be on the startling line at NCAA competition based on his third-place finish. He will attempt to become one of IU's only three-time cross country All-Americans.\n"Sean knows what he has to do," said IU alumnus Chris Powers, a former cross country All-American. "It's NCAAs. Sean always runs his best when it matters most"