IU men’s and women’s track and field athletes competed against each other Friday, Jan. 9, in a friendly exhibition one week before they face off in their indoor opener against Purdue on Jan. 17.
The Crimson team claimed victory over the Black, Cream and Gray teams, respectively, as determined by the performance-based International Association of Athletics Federation scoring table.
Highlighting the Crimson performers were sophomore Tre’tez Kinnaird, who claimed the 500-meter dash, as well as the Crimson 3,200-meter relay team, which finished first of the four teams, and freshman Brenna Calder, who claimed second place in the women’s 1,000-meter run.
In total, the Crimson team finished in first place in two events and second place in eight events.
Kinnaird, co-captain of the Crimson team, said a meet between teammates is even more competitive than one between different teams.
“We really push each other to do better and to achieve our goals,” Kinnaird said. “We like to see everyone run personal bests, and I think this meet shows that our training is paying off before we head into the indoor season.”
The Black team won six events, while the Cream team claimed seven events, led by senior Rorey Hunter in the men’s 2000-meter run and senior Shawntanay Johnson in the women’s 60-meter dash.
The Gray team finished first place in three events, including freshman Kyle DuVall in the men’s 1,000-meter run and freshman Zach Reitzug in the men’s 300-meter dash.
IU Coach Ron Helmer, who has been coaching IU track and field since 2007, likes to see the athletes enjoy themselves.
“There’s a lot of competition here, and we had kids run personal records today,” Helmer said. “It was really great to see the success that came from the training over break.
Helmer noted that the fact that the Crimson team won does not mean much to him.
Although, he said what means the most to him coming out of this meet is knowing what kind of competitors he has on the track every weekend.
He also said that competing with their teammates teaches them a lot about themselves, as well the competitors he has on the team.
The meet ended with a presentation given by former IU sprinter and 2013 IU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Mike Goodrich.
After recounting his experiences and his career at IU, he reflected upon teammate competition.
“Competing head-to-head with teammates respectfully will not only make you a better track athlete, but a better person as well,” Goodrich said.
