IU athletes compete in Jesse Owens Classic

The school year might be over, but the action has just begun for the men’s and women’s track teams.\nBoth squads are gearing up for their most important meets of the year –the Big Ten championships, regional championships and, hopefully, the national championships.\nThis weekend, the teams traveled to Columbus, Ohio compete in the Jesse Owens Track and Field Classic. Freshman Andy Weatherford started off the meet strong for the Hoosiers on Friday night. \nWeatherford, who won the Indiana State Championship in the mile during his sophomore year of high school on the same track he now calls home, ran in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The steeplechase had several elite athletes representing Reebok, Adidas and New Balance. Weatherford excelled, finishing 14th overall and third-best among collegiates. \nThe Greencastle native bettered his previous best in the steeplechase by nearly 10 seconds when he crossed the finish line in 9:04.89. Weatherford’s time also qualifies him for the NCAA Regional competition later this month. IU coach Ron Helmer said his freshman is working hard and seeing results. \n“I think he is getting better and better,” he said. “He really likes this event.”\nWhen the Hoosiers returned to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon, they experienced more success. The men’s 4-by-100-meter relay team took top honors, winning the race in 40.54 seconds. \nSenior Kiwan Lawson also won the high jump with a leap of 8.09 meters, which converts to more than 26 1/2 feet. Lawson’s mark did not qualify him for regionals, however, because it was aided too much by the wind. But he still received praise from his coach. \n“8.09, even though it was windy, was incredible,” Helmer said. \nOn the women’s side, the Hoosiers also competed well. Sophomore Vera Neuenswander and junior Molly Beckwith captured individual titles in their respective events. Beckwith came through the finish in the 800-meter run with a new career best of 2:06.46, an improvement on her 2:06.67 time that qualified her for the NCAA Indoor Championships.\nBeckwith’s time in the race bettered not only the regional standard, but also was faster than the Olympic “B” qualifying standard. In addition to the two qualifications, her time came within .02 seconds of fifth all-time on the outdoor list. Beckwith is the school record-holder for the indoor 800-meter run. \nTeammate Audrey Smoot followed Beckwith in the 800-meter race, finishing fifth with a time of 2:10.06. Smoot scored her first points in a Big Ten meet earlier this year when she won the 600-meter run at the Indoor Big Ten Championships. \nNeuenswander captured a victory in the pole vault competition, jumping 4.00 meters. \nOther Hoosiers also set personal bests despite having to compete in some rainy and windy conditions. Freshman Cole Hardacre was the second-best collegiate in the 5,000-meter run in 14:34.11. Sophomore Jared Nuxoll’s jump of 2.07 meters in the high jump was also a personal best. \nThe team will head back to Bloomington to train through the week in preparation for Friday, when it hosts the Billy Hayes Invitational.