Track and field, minus distance runners, heads to Texas

After weather cut last weekend’s meet short, the Indiana men’s and women’s track and field teams will compete again this week at the Texas Relays.

This week marks a strange hiccup in the normally regimented schedule on which the team operates. While they usually compete exclusively on the weekends, several athletes will compete today and Thursday in Austin, Texas.

Many athletes who competed in the Alabama Relays will skip out on the Texas Relays. Associate Head Coach Jeff Huntoon said the team is using this meet mostly for multi-event competitors to get a shot at all their events with a couple days rest in
between.

“It’s by far the shortest turnaround time we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Huntoon said. “We planned it this way to shake things up.”

Competing without sufficient rest can often lead to injury when not properly monitored.

But Huntoon said he was confident the team could avoid this issue.

“We have no concern for injury any more than we normally would,” Huntoon said. “This is structured exactly the way we intended, and we’ve taken the steps to minimize that risk.”

Besides injury, another thing on the minds of these student athletes are the effects that traveling during the week has on schoolwork.

During the indoor track and field season, the Hoosiers host the majority of their meets to take advantage of the facilities in Gladstein Fieldhouse.

Outdoor season adds the challenge of travel to the equation. Six of IU’s eight regular season outdoor meets are on the road.

“It’s just something that happens during the outdoor season,” Huntoon said. “They’ve got to prepare for school and communicate with their teachers a lot more than indoor. At the same time, it can benefit us because we get to see more venues and even different teams and competitors.”

Though the Alabama Relays last weekend were cut short and left unfinished because of inclement weather, the forecast in Austin for the meet reads low 70s with a small chance of precipitation.

While the Hoosiers hope that forecast holds true, they will look for good performances regardless of the weather.

After the Alabama Relays, Huntoon had much praise for the younger athletes who competed. He said he’s looking for more leadership from upperclassmen this time around.

Huntoon mentioned IU senior Courtney Woodard as one particular athlete to keep an eye on.

“(Woodard) really deserves a chance to compete against top competition,” Huntoon said. “Sending her to Texas is a no-brainer for us.”

One group who won’t be represented in Texas is the IU distance runners. They’ll be sent to the Stanford Relays this weekend.

The distance running program at IU has emerged as a nationally elite program, but the Hoosiers are still catching up in other areas.

“We’ve wanted to get back to being a part of it in sprints and jumps for a while now,” Huntoon said. “This meet will give us a chance to do that.”