Track season kicks off at home against Purdue

Another chapter will be added to the IU-Purdue rivalry this Saturday as the Hoosiers track and field team will host Purdue in Gladstein Fieldhouse in their only dual meet of the season. It is the Hoosiers’ first competition this semester.

While recent years have demonstrated dominance for both IU teams, the Hoosier women could be facing a challenge this weekend. The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association released its preseason poll Tuesday, ranking the IU women 106th and Purdue women 57th. The IU men have a decisive advantage of seventh versus Purdue’s 74th.

IU Coach Ron Helmer said he hopes when the women’s team sees the success of the men, it will fan the fire a little bit.

“I hope [the women’s team] understands where we intend for the program to get to,” Helmer said. “I think there’s a lot of these girls that want to be a part of a team with great success, and this is just one more thing to cause them to have a sense of urgency.”

The natural in-state rivalry with Purdue is another potential motivator for the athletes, Helmer said.

Several Indiana natives on both teams competed against one another throughout their high school careers and were recruited by both schools.

“Any time you get a chance to go up against your rival, especially Purdue, it adds a little extra to the meet,” IU junior Joe Holahan said. “Although the past few years we’ve beaten them pretty bad, we still have to go out there and compete to the best of our ability to beat them again.”

Holahan, along with several other Hoosiers, will compete in events he doesn’t normally participate in. He will compete in the 600m and 4x800m relay.

The main advantage the IU men’s team will have against the Boilermakers will come in the distance events.

The top three finishers in each event generate scoring for this meet, and IU has plenty of depth in the distance races.

“It’s too bad that they put a limit on the number of entry spots because we have so many guys that can run so many different events and compete well at them,” Holahan said.

Helmer said he thinks mixing up the lineup helps train his athletes through a broad range of events and keeps them fresh and having fun challenging themselves.

“There’s a training value, a mental value and a fun value to it in terms of doing certain things you don’t always get to do,” Helmer said.

While Helmer said he wants his team to have fun in their only dual meet of the year, he also wants his team to remember who they are competing against.

“It is Indiana vs. Purdue, after all,” Helmer said. “So, yeah, there’s absolutely a very genuine level of rivalry there that will find its way to the track on Saturday.”