At last weekend’s dual meet against Tennessee, both the IU men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams had a star that shined particularly bright. Middle distance runner Daniel Kuhn and thrower Nakel McClinton were both already in the IU record books, but Saturday may have been a new high point in their careers.
Kuhn completed the 800-meter run in 1:49.63. That time is the sixth best 800-meter in school history, an IU-Tennessee dual meet record, and currently the top time in the nation. Additionally, Kuhn’s performance earned him co-Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week honors. McClinton had a throw of 20.66 in the 20 lb. weight throw, which is a new school record.
“We had a lot of people get in trouble because they didn’t work at the levels we wanted them to over break,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said. “They came back and worked pretty hard for a week and then were really tired on the weekend and couldn’t get going. But the fact that both of them performed at a really high level tells us that that they’re doing the things that we’ve asked them to properly so that they can continue to grow.”
Kuhn, a sophomore out of Shelbyville, Indiana, said he felt confident that the work he put in over the offseason and over break would pay off. But even nearly a week later, he looked to be in disbelief when reminded that his 800-meter time is the top time in the nation.
“You kind of embrace it while you can, but I know going forward it’s going to have to go down lower for me to qualify for Indoor Nationals because people are going to start running some pretty fast times pretty soon,” Kuhn said. “(The top time is) short-lived, I try not to focus on that, and just get back to work and do what you can do to reach your goal of hitting Indoor Nationals.”
McClinton, a redshirt junior from Merrillville, Indiana, already held the school record for hammer throw, and had the second best 20 lb. weight throw in school history. But Saturday, she couldn’t contain her excitement, covering her mouth out of pure shock immediately after the throw landed. She said she felt especially relaxed at the meet, which boosted her confidence.
“When she gets relaxed or comfortable in a particular environment, she’s capable of doing some really good things, and she’s worked really hard for a long time,” Helmer said. “Coach (Cory) Martin told me that something good had a chance to happen.”
Helmer said both McClinton and Kuhn are quiet leaders with a team-first mentality, which he appreciates. They’re coachable, and they compete hard.
“When they work in that manner, then I think the whole team takes pride in the accomplishments that anybody has,” Helmer said. “And that’s what we want from everybody.”
Helmer was also pleased that they were able to hit such high achievements this early in the season. But they’re both still motivated to continue to improve. Both cited success at the Big Ten meet and competing at Indoor Nationals as big goals of theirs.
“Your biggest enemy, or the person you go against the most, is yourself,” Kuhn said. “If I can find a way to achieve something that I was personally doubting myself (about), I’d say that’s my biggest motivator. And just live up to try to be one of the greats to come through Indiana University.”
The Hoosiers will be back in action this Saturday as they travel to West Lafayette, Indiana, to face Purdue in another dual meet.
