Hoosiers stay unblemished at Invitational

The Hoosiers started Homecoming with a bang Saturday, beginning with the IU cross country teams dominating the Sam Bell Invitational in Bloomington.

Bell was in attendance, as well as IU legend Bob Kennedy, who both saw their alma mater finish first.

“It was a good opportunity,” junior Sarah Pease said. “We wanted a more relaxed environment this week. Closing hard on the home course sets us up well for regionals.”

Freshman Andy Bayer led the men as he picked up his first collegiate victory en route to a team triumph. Following Bayer was sophomore Andrew Poore, who crossed the line with a time of 25:10:43. A non-IU runner wouldn’t finish for another 40 seconds.

“Our race plan was to let the girls lead for the 2K,” sophomore Andy Weatherford said. “And it worked for the girls, so we just focused and finished hard.”

Senior Wendi Robinson and Pease continued their outstanding seasons, finishing first and second. They were a full 15 seconds in front of the rest of the racers.

Sophomore Chelsea Blanchard was next for the Hoosiers, finishing eighth with a time of 22:25:27.

“We had kind of a game plan coming in,” Robinson said. “‘Conservative’ would be a good word to group it up. Sarah and I took it, and the two of us separated and got a win on the home course.”