Runners push teammates at Indiana Invitational

Even though the Hoosiers competed in a small meet this weekend, they achieved great results.\nWith few schools present at the Indiana Invitational on Friday, the men’s and women’s track and field teams were still successful, racking up 10 regional qualifying marks at the meet. \nIU coach Ron Helmer said he wanted his athletes to compete well, regardless of the conditions. \n“We want to get as much value as we can,” he said. \nThe final event for the men, the 4-by-400 meter relay, featured four IU teams that made up the entire field. The winning team crossed the finish line with a time of 3:18.05.\nWith so many athletes competing in the event, even senior jumper Kyle Jenkins was called upon to run a leg of the relay. Jenkins did not run a fast race because his specialties are the long jump and triple jump.\nJenkins said it was the first time he had competed in the event, and most likely the last time as well. He competed better earlier in the day when he finished first in the long jump with a regional qualifying mark of 7.35 meters.\nThe 200-meter dash represented another event where Hoosier athletes battled against each other, pushing each other to run faster – something Helmer said can be very helpful. \n“They were taking runs at each other, and that’s important,” he said. \nSenior sprinter Marcus Thigpen led off the 200 with fellow teammate freshman Devin Pipkin right on his heels. Thigpen maintained the advantage all the way through the finish, and said he was happy with his regional qualifying time of 21.27 seconds.\n“I felt good from start to finish,” he said. “I’m in the best shape of my life right now.” \nSeveral more Hoosiers set new regional qualifying marks, including sophomore thrower Patrick Dalton. Dalton came away victorious in the shot put with a heave of 16.93 meters. The throw represented a 40-centimeter improvement for Dalton, who was pleased with the regional mark. \n“It was good to finally get it,” he said. “It was a goal from the beginning of the year.”\nDalton wasn’t the only Hoosier athlete to record a significant improvement. In the pole vault, sophomore Vera Neuenswander had a first-place finish and season-best height of 4.10 meters. Neuenswander said she was happy with the jump, but knows she can go higher. \n“I got a little confidence back today,” she said. \nThe jump got Helmer’s attention, who said he was happy to see his pole vaulter do well; and although she didn’t clear the bar at 4.20 meters, it was good to get that practice. \n“I was proud of Vera,” he said. \nHelmer made the decision to change the meet from the original scheduled time on Saturday to Friday because of poor weather conditions predicted for Saturday. He said he was glad they did not wait until Saturday to get the meet in. With so many strong performances on the new date, the team was glad as well. \n“It was a good day to come out and compete,” \nNeuenswander said.