Track and field to compete in South Bend

The IU track and field team will travel the farthest it has all season to compete Friday at the Meyo Invitational in South Bend.

This weekend will feature a change from the Hoosiers’ usual lineup. IU Coach Ron Helmer will rest the majority of his distance runners as they prepare for a tough span of competition ahead.

Just three weeks after the Big Ten Championships, Helmer said he is focused on tailoring the invitational to fit each athlete’s individual needs.

“We’ve got some athletes that are on a roll right now, and we need to put an exclamation point on it,” he said.

IU pole vaulters Sophie Gutermuth and Drew Volz are looking to improve upon the record-setting results they posted last weekend at the Indiana Relays. The duo cleared 4.05 meters and 5.25 meters for fourth and ninth place, respectively, on IU’s all-time program lists.

“Last weekend was a breakthrough,” Volz said. “It’s a huge relief to be over 17 feet again, and it gives me motivation to keep hitting those higher heights.”

The difference for Volz has been in the mechanics of his vault. The transfer from South Florida returned to his native Bloomington where he spent the offseason reconstructing his technique.

With the pieces finally coming together, Volz said he has his sights set on a Big Ten title.

He currently sits at No. 2 in the conference.

For Gutermuth, the key is duplicating success. The redshirt sophomore has earned a personal record in every meet she has competed in thus far.

This weekend, she is preparing to carry on that winning performance to a foreign track.
“I may not be jumping in my own pit, but I still need to keep the same training in mind,” she said.

On the track, Helmer said he will focus on the sprint and middle distance groups.

Junior Rorey Hunter, redshirt junior Nolan Fife and redshirt sophomore Samantha Ginther will be among the Hoosiers who will race to shave crucial seconds off their mile time.

Thanks to the longer track at Notre Dame’s Loftus Center, which stretches one-fifth of a mile, those results will be tangible come Friday.

“Oversized tracks, in a lot of races, are faster because there’s more room,” Helmer said. “You can get out on the big tracks and have more open, free running.”

IU’s Gladstein Fieldhouse boasts a smaller 200-meter bank track. Though there is always an advantage to competing home, Helmer said there is little difference between his team’s routine at home and on the road.

“Despite our younger runners, this is a mature group,” he said. “Really, it’s just business as usual.”

Follow reporter Tori Ziege on Twitter @ToriZiege