Hoosiers dominate Billy Hayes Invite on new track surface

The speed of the new Polytan track proved beneficial to the Hoosiers after just one meet, as they earned seven event wins and set two records.

However, the team achieved more than just records and wins.

“We got, I think, 30 kids recorded a personal best, which is always good to see,” IU coach Ron Helmer said. “They’re looking forward very positively, and the best is yet to come.”

Senior Molly Beckwith set a new track record in the 800-meter run, with a time of 2:02.18. Beckwith broke her own track record, set at last year’s Billy Hayes Invitational, by more than .30 seconds.  Beckwith’s time is the third-fastest of an American and second-best on the Division I list this outdoor season. It is the second-fastest all-time in Indiana history.

Several other Hoosiers finished in the top 10 in the 800-meter, including junior Lindsey Hartman, who took second place with a time of 2:06.40, and junior Ashley Baker with a time of 2:08.21, in fourth place.

The women’s 4-by-400-meter relay anchored by Beckwith finished in a time of 3:46.63, a 10-second victory against the rest of the field. The team consisted of Baker, Beckwith, freshman Ruth Christopher and sophomore Jordan Gray.

One of the men’s relay teams, the 4-by-100-meter, finished with the best time in three years by an IU lineup, with a time of 40.36. The relay team’s time was only .01 seconds off from IU’s all-time top-10 list.

One athlete, however, more than broke the previous IU record — she demolished it. Thrower Faith Sherrill broke the hammer throw record by 13 feet, 4 inches, heaving nearly 59 meters. Her throw is the best in the Big Ten this season, as well as 13th in the East region.

The Hoosiers were ahead of other teams in nearly every category and won by wide margins in their seven event wins, including the steeplechase and the high jump.

Freshman Erica Ridderman won the steeplechase by 16.5 seconds with a time of 10:45.40, and sophomore Derek Drouin won the high jump by 19 centimeters, clearing 2.23 meters. Drouin’s  best clearance of the outdoor season puts him at sixth place on the Division I list.

The new track also was a winner, as it received great reception from runners, coaches, and bystanders.
 
“It got rave reviews,” Helmer said. “People were impressed with it, from the look of the facility to how it performed.”