Stakes rise at Hoosier Hills

The IU track and field team will maintain its rigid focus this weekend at the Hoosier Hills Invitational, the Hoosiers’ last home meet of their indoor season.

IU Coach Ron Helmer said athletes at every level need to be prepared to run heart-stopping performances.

Many will seek to build their confidence going into the Big Ten meet, he said, while others will look to set qualifying times for the NCAA Championships.

Helmer said every second counts.

“To prepare the athletes to have a really good Big Ten meet, I would prefer to rest as many as possible next week,” he said. “The difference between getting there and just missing is sometimes tenths of a second, and I don’t want to get caught chasing a time every single weekend.”

Freshman Tre’tez Kinnaird is all too familiar with chasing times. Last weekend at the Meyo Invitational, he raced into the IU record books with a season-best time of one minute and 49.49 seconds in the 800-meter run.

The time was the second fastest in program history.

Kinnaird, who was the 2012 Kentucky State Champion in the 800-meter, said the performance was his best in two years.

“I expected to run fast, but I didn’t expect to run that fast,” he said. “In high school I wasn’t really pushed a lot, so being pushed and just having that competition makes it even sweeter.”

Kinnaird and fellow freshman teammate Jean Rouse are two Hoosiers who have already achieved great success in their first seasons at IU.

For Rouse, the key has been relaxing at the start line. She doesn’t wear a watch when she races, so she said it was a complete surprise when she clocked a season-best 57.42 seconds in the 400-meter run last weekend.

Despite chasing a national-qualifying time in the distance medley relay this weekend, Kinnaird said he doesn’t feel any pressure when he races.

“This is my freshman year. This is a chance to start something big, and I shouldn’t stress over it,” he said. “I just go out there and run, and see what I’m capable of doing.”

With the stakes high at Hoosier Hills, Helmer said there is another variable in play to this weekend’s equation.

“They’re running for more than a chance to go to the national meet,” he said. “They’re actually running for the opportunity to be All-Americans.”

Kinnaird said he will draw inspiration from some anonymous fans — and one special fan in particular.

“I have a few valentines out there. I’m not saying any names,” he said. “But my mom is coming down, and I haven’t seen her in a while. That will be her Valentine’s gift — running real fast times.”

Follow reporter Tori Ziege on Twitter @ToriZiege