IU brings mix of youth, veterans to championships

For the 18 Hoosiers who qualified to compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships, this will be the culmination of a season.

Nine months of competition and preparation have led to 48 hours inside the Randal Tyson Track Center against the best track-and-field athletes in Division I.

The Hoosiers bring differing perspectives on the experience of competing in the highest level of collegiate competition to Fayetteville, Ark.

For seniors such as Jeff Coover and Molly Beckwith, this will be the last chapter in decorated IU indoor track-and-field careers.

But for freshman Faith Sherrill and sophomore Andrew Poore, this will be their first time competing in the NCAA Indoor Championships.

“Making it to NCAAs has been, by far, the greatest accomplishment I’ve had,” Poore said. “It was something I always wanted to do as a Hoosier. You can run fast, but if you don’t get to compete for a national title, it really doesn’t mean much.”

Sherrill agreed this is a huge accomplishment for her to achieve, but now it’s up to her to finish what she started.

“I have to get my mind ready, and I know that I’m capable of going out there and doing great,” Sherrill said.

IU coach Ron Helmer acknowledged that each one of his student athletes is different and handles this meet in different ways. However, he would like to see his team retain its composure throughout NCAAs.

“They shouldn’t expect everything to be perfect,” Helmer said. “But the team needs to be able to adjust and find resiliency to stick to our game plan.”