Seniors primed for last time on home track before Big Ten tourney

Senior Ryan Smith will be performing triple duty for the IU track-and-field team this weekend – hurdling, sprinting and singing. A member of the Marching Hundred and Big Red Basketball bands, Smith will partner with sophomore hurdler Kayla Smith to sing the National Anthem at the Billy Hayes Invitational.\nThe two hurdlers, who are not related to each other, sang last year at the invitational, but are still planning to get together this week to do a final practice. Although excited to sing, Ryan Smith said he is more anxious about competing in the last home meet of his career. \n“It’s going to be emotional for all of the seniors,” he said. “Track has been our lives for so long.” \nRyan Smith, who plays the mellophone – an instrument he compared to a marching french horn – said playing in the band has given him something else to focus on, but has not been easy. \n“(Marching) Hundred season is no joke,” he said. “It’s like another practice.” \nRyan Smith, a Bloomington native, is not the only Hoosier track-and-field All-American to have played in the Marching Hundred. David Neville, who graduated from IU in 2007, now runs professionally for Nike. He participated in the drum line for the group during his years at IU. \nSmith said seeing how good Neville became while participating in Marching Hundred made him want to do it that much more. The two were teammates in Smith’s sophomore year on the 4-by-400-meter relay team that took fifth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, garnering All-American honors. \nAlthough Smith will not graduate until next school year, he is excited to move on with his future plans of being a dentist. While some people might not find reaching into others’ mouths an ideal job, Smith said he wants to help people. \n“A lot of people have teeth problems, and someone needs to help them out,” he said. \nFellow sprinter and senior teammate Keith Heerdegen will also be competing in his last home meet for the Hoosiers. Heerdegen said although he probably will not get extremely emotional, he has had a lot of fun over the last four years. \n“I’m going to miss competing,” he said. “I’ll miss it a lot.” \nHeerdegen has been a constant part of the 4-by-100-meter relay team which has already qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships, and is looking to qualify in the 200-meter dash as well. \n“I just have to run the last 15 meters, and I’ll get it,” he said. \nOne of only five seniors on a very young women’s team is Courtney Johnson. Johnson focuses mainly on the 100-meter hurdles and has qualified for the regional in the event. The senior currently sits in 22nd place in the nation with a time of 13.40 seconds, but is looking to improve on her home track. \n“I really love this track,” she said. “Hopefully I can end on a good note.” \nSmith, Heerdegen and Johnson have all contributed to the goal set before the season of coming together as a team, something IU coach Ron Helmer is happy about. \n“I think we have done that and our seniors are a big part of it,” he said. \nHelmer has spent less than one year with the Hoosiers, but said he has had a great time working with his seniors and they are going to be very hard to replace. \n“I’ve enjoyed the group a lot,” he said. “I wish I had more time with them. “\nAlthough there are still more meets in the season this one will be special for the seniors, who are being presented with rings midway through competition.\n“We will be trying hard to end with a bang,” Smith said.