IU heads to Knoxville for weekend

After their farthest road trip of the year to Eugene, Ore., the Hoosiers hit the road a bit closer to home.

The meet this weekend is the Sea Ray Relays on Friday and Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn.
Junior Kayla Smith, who won the 400-meter hurdles on her way to a regional qualification time last week, said she is looking forward to the shorter travel times with her feet on the ground.

“Traveling will definitely be less hectic,” Smith said. “Seven hours on a bus is definitely better than 14 hours on a plane.”

IU coach Ron Helmer said the meet will be competitive with a lot of squads from the top conferences.

“It’s a high-level meet,” Helmer said. “There will be 25 to 30 teams (including) Big Ten, SEC and Big East schools.”