Hoosiers attempt to qualify for Nationals on home turf

As November quickly passes, the IU men’s and women’s cross country teams prepare for their first steps in qualifying for the national meet – the Great Lakes Regional.

They will be tested heavily by both Big Ten foes and other teams from around the Midwest. Fortunately, the Hoosiers will be running on familiar ground, with the meet set to take place Saturday at their home course.

“It’s an honor to host the meet,” IU coach Ron Helmer said. “Our course is great and in great shape. It’s a big deal because our kids know the course and are comfortable with it. Its been a good year so far. We’ve had a great attitude year round; the future looks very bright.”

In order to qualify an automatic bid, Indiana will have to finish in the top-three teams at the regional meet. For the men, the goal is just within their grasp. They come in ranked No. 4 in the region, with Big Ten adversaries Wisconsin and Ohio State ahead of them at No. 1 and No. 3. The second spot currently belongs to in-state opponent Butler.

“I think it’s one of the biggest races in our program’s recent history,” junior Cole Hardacre said. “If we make it to nationals as a team, that is pretty huge, considering only 30 teams in the country make it. The good thing is we get to practice on the course, so there will be no surprises.”

The women come in ranked at No. 4 regionally, with high expectations to advance.
They will face stiff competition with regional rivals Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame placed in front of them.

In addition, Michigan and Michigan State come into the race ranked No. 23 and No. 26 in the nation, respectively.

“It’s a trust thing,” senior Wendi Robinson said. “You trust the work you put in, and that makes the team more confident in trusting our preparation and training. I like what I’ve seen at practice this week. We’re ready to go.”