Hoosiers head north to Big Ten Championships

If you were to step into the Gladstein Fieldhouse on a Monday afternoon, you would see a team practicing like it has all season, working toward goals it had set out to accomplish long before the year began. \nOn the outside, it might seem like the Hoosiers are going about business as usual, but with the Big Ten Championships this weekend, the Hoosiers’ excitement and confidence levels are through the roof. \nThe conference tournament is something senior sprinter and hurdler Ryan Smith has been eagerly looking forward to all season.\n“I think everyone is really excited about Big Tens,” he said. “I think the team is going to do really well.” \nThe men’s and women’s track and field teams will have separate meets, both taking place on Saturday and Sunday. The women will compete in Minnesota and the men in Wisconsin. \nSmith, a 2006 All-American, has been set back by a groin injury he suffered in practice and has not competed in over a month. Despite the injury, Smith does not come off as frustrated, but rather full of emotion and excitement for the chance to return to a sport he loves. \n“I’m so ready to get back out there,” said Smith with a smile on his face.\nSmith will compete in the 600-meter run, an event he set the school record in at last year’s Big Ten Championship meet. \nOne of Smith’s best friends and teammates who will also toe the line with him in the 600 is junior Martin Stephen, whose time in the event is only .48 seconds off of Smith’s school record. \n“We are going to go out there as teammates and will run as fast as we can,” Stephen said. \nStephen hopes that himself, Smith, and junior Todd Leone can all place in the top five at the meet. \n“We are really strong and ready to go,” he said. \nWhile the men’s team has a lot of experience in Big Ten meets, having had conference champions last year, including Smith and seniors Kyle Jenkins and Kiwan Lawson, the women’s team lacks that experience. The women do not have a lot of depth and only have about 18 athletes competing this weekend. \nOne of those athletes is freshman Lindsey Hartman, who will run in the 600-meter race and as a member of the 4X400-meter relay. Although Hartman has never competed in a Big Ten Championship meet, she still has confidence and enthusiasm about traveling to Minnesota this weekend. \n“I’m really excited,” she said. “I’ve always dreamed of competing in a Big Ten meet.”\nAnother athlete who thrives in Big Ten competition is sophomore jumper Jackie Coleman. \nColeman, a Mideast regional qualifier last year during the outdoor season, had her best triple jump last year at the indoor Big Ten Championships and her best long jump at the outdoor championships.\n“I really get excited for big competition in big-time meets,” she said. “It takes me to a whole new level.” \nDespite the lack of experience on the women’s team, Coleman is still optimistic and thinks this meet will be a great opportunity for the young Hoosiers.\n“We have the ability to grow as a team,” she said. “I think we have a lot of potential.”\nIU coach Ron Helmer would not comment on where exactly he thought his teams could place in their respective meets, instead he provided one simple mission for his team.\n“The overriding goal is to place as high as we can as a team,” he said. “I hope we can compete hard and put ourselves in a position to have good things happen.”