The Hoosiers fell short at the NCAA Outdoor National Championships this weekend, as all three athletes failed to qualify for final heats and top-eight positions in Eugene, Ore.
The top Hoosier finisher was senior distance runner Rorey Hunter, who competed in his second consecutive championship, and finished 16th in the men’s 1,500-meter run.
Junior pole vaulter Terry Batemon placed 20th with a jump of 5.15 meters, and sophomore distance runner Amanda Behnke finished 22nd in the women’s 10K at a time of 35:33.56.
“I was a little disappointed in the performances this weekend, to be honest,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said. “They didn’t represent the success that IU has had this season.”
In the same event in which Hunter finished ninth in the nation last season, the field seemed to be tailored to his strengths, a slower, more strategic field.
He dipped down to 16th with a time of 3:46.43, though.
“I got out well,” Hunter said, “but the field came in on me, and with 400 meters to go, I was in pretty poor position.”
As the race came to a close, a few runners dropped behind Hunter, and the senior saw himself out of the final heat of the men’s 1,500 by 0.2 seconds.
“It hurts,” Hunter said, “especially since I was here before and made that final. I wanted to make it again, but I have matured so much as an athlete. With my extra year of eligibility, I will come out stronger next season.”
Batemon, who saw himself set multiple personal records throughout the year in a comeback season after injury, failed to clear 5.30 meters, a height that he had cleared in the Big Ten Championships, as he went on to set his personal best 5.36 meters.
The winner, Shawn Barber of Akron, cleared 5.60 meters, a mark Batemon has never neared in his career, to claim the national championship.
“Terry (Batemon) was just a little off this weekend, “Helmer said. “He would have had to reach heights that he has never come close to to win the championship, though.”
Behnke performed in an event that she had never competed in before, the women’s 10K.
Before the season started, she had never ran a competitive 10,000-meter run, but Behnke qualified with the final spot of the preliminary round, and finished 22nd in the nation.
“Amanda (Behnke) finished about where we would have expected her to,” Helmer said. “She gave us another good performance, as she has all season.”
With the end of the national championships, the track and field season also comes to a close, but the coaching staff is already identifying and implementing ways to improve the team in the future.
“We didn’t exactly finish the way we wanted to,” Helmer said, “but we laid the groundwork for a team that is going to be much more successful in the future. The coaching staff is already preparing for next season.”
Responsibility is the first aspect that the team needs to improve upon, according to Helmer.
“Many of our athletes have never been on a top-tier team before, so they don’t understand what it is like to compete in a program like this,” Helmer said, “but once they do understand, and we get some of our recruits in here, we will lead this program back to an elite team.”
