Moore, Buckley come back from Florida with wins

IU track and field traveled to Gainesville, Fla., this weekend to participate in the Pepsi Florida Relays. The Hoosiers came back with two wins in a very strong field of competitors.

This weekend didn’t match last weekend at the Texas Relays and Stanford Invitational in terms of first place finishes, but Associate Head Coach Jeff Huntoon said the effort was equal to last weekend’s.

“There were a lot more post-collegiate athletes competing in this field,” Huntoon said. “So while we didn’t have as many top finishes, it was still a successful weekend for us.”

Much of the success from Gainesville came from the IU women’s throwers.

IU sophomore Taja Moore took home Friday’s only victory for the Hoosiers after coming out on top in the women’s discus. Her throw of 51.83-meters (170-feet-0-inches) won the competition by almost eight feet and ranks sixth in IU history.

Moore also took on the hammer throw and finished 10th in that event.

“I felt really good going into the discus, and I have a good coaching staff behind me, so everything went well in the discus,” Moore said. “In the hammer throw, I hoped to do a little better, but I’ll get more chances at it and hopefully I’ll improve.

“I go into both with a lot of confidence and try to perform to the best of my abilities.”

Friday also featured a pair of IU athletes throwing the javelin into the IU record books. Senior Derek Drouin’s throw of 57.65-meters (189-feet-2-inches) ranks sixth all-time for the Hoosiers. Freshman Matt Birk ranks eighth in IU history with his 56.6-meter (185-foot-8-inch) throw.

“We’re definitely going to need to find ways to score extra points come championship season,” Huntoon said. “The javelin and both sets of hurdles are places we think we could sneak in and grab a few points.”

On the meet’s final day of competition, Saturday, IU junior Kyla Buckley took home the other Hoosier victory. Her throw of 16.84-meters (55-feet-3-inches) in the women’s shot put was enough to edge out a field that included two former Olympians.

Buckley’s Florida Relays success comes just a week after winning the Texas Relays title as well. Buckley has been on a hot streak since winning the Big Ten Indoor Championship in February, Huntoon said.

“She’s got a different edge to her now that she didn’t have last year,” Huntoon said. “She’s really putting things together and is actually disappointed if she doesn’t win regardless of who’s in the field.”

The IU women’s team also found success in the relays. The distance medley relay of junior Lyndsey Wall, junior Elise Hunter, senior Ashley Seymour and sophomore Molly Winters crossed the line in 12:01.95 for second place in the event.

Senior Jordan Gray, freshman Brianna Johnson, sophomore Brie Roller and Seymour also competed in the 4x800-meter relay, finishing fourth.

Next week, the Hoosiers travel to Louisville, Ky., for the annual Border Battle. Indiana will pair up with Notre Dame and go up against Kentucky and Louisville in a scored meet.

Huntoon said that they’re looking forward to the Border Battle, but the past couple weekends have the coaching staff really excited about the outdoor season in a bigger scope.

“We’re very excited about this team,” Huntoon said. “It’s a different look and feel to teams we’ve had in the past, but this is a group that can get it done. We expect to make a run late in the year.”