Men place 1st, women 2nd at Pepsi Invite

To be the best you must beat the best.

The IU men’s track and field team proved they were the top squad this weekend by taking out recent indoor national champion Oregon to win the Pepsi Team Invitational in Eugene, Ore.

Competing in a rare in-season scored meet, the Hoosiers edged out the hosts in the final event of the day, the discus, by placing second and fourth. IU finished with 200 points to Oregon’s 194.

IU coach Ron Helmer said he knew beating the recent champions was possible, given the team’s recent improvement.

“Our kids got into the spirit of the event,” he said. “Because we are getting better, beating the best team is possible for us.”

The women’s team fared only slightly worse than their male counterparts, placing second behind the same Oregon team.

Helmer said both squads took advantage of the conditions and showed the visiting spectators how good his team is.

“There was good weather and a great crowd that saw Indiana track and field is for real,” he said.