Junior thrower Nakel McClinton, senior heptathlete Dylan Anderson and senior pole vaulter Sydney Clute competed at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 11-12. All were named second team All-Americans by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, but none left Birmingham, Alabama, having met the goals they set for themselves before the meet.
Anderson, who was competing at nationals for his second consecutive year, said he hoped to top his ninth-place finish from last year. While IU Coach Ron Helmer said Anderson performed well, the senior didn’t secure the top-eight finish he aimed for. He finished in ninth place in the heptathlon with 5,762 points, a new career best and second in school history. Anderson was previously third in the school record book. The second team All-American honor was his second in a row.
“His point total usually scores,” Helmer said. “So for him to come up just a little short, it’s probably mixed feelings there because he had a really good meet. You would have hoped that would end up with the ability to score a point and be a first team All-American. He just missed.”
Clute set a high bar for herself to reach at nationals. Coming off her Big Ten Championship in pole vault, she said she had her sights set on a top-five finish at NCAAs. Helmer said he felt the senior could have scored if she had vaulted to the best of her ability, but the senior finished in 10th place and said she wasn’t satisfied with herself.
“It definitely wasn’t what I was expecting going into the weekend,” Clute said. “But there’s nothing I can do to change it now. I’m just learning from it and getting back to work and moving forward.”
McClinton, making her first appearance at nationals, emphasized taking in the whole experience at the NCAA Championships.
She said she strived for a top-eight finish and a personal best, but she struggled at nationals, finishing 15th in the weight throw. Her first throw went into the cage, and she fouled her second throw. Because of that, she said, she altered her mechanics to play it safe on her third throw. She said she regretted playing it safe at the national championships.
“It was definitely a learning experience,” McClinton said. “It was my first time there, so now I know what to improve on if I get to go back.”
With NCAAs behind them, the Hoosiers are now focused on outdoor track and field. The first outdoor meet takes place Friday and Saturday in Tempe, Arizona, at the Sun Devil Invitational. The rest of the team had begun training for outdoor while McClinton, Anderson and Clute prepared for indoor nationals.
Helmer said those three athletes would get a few extra days of rest from nationals, depending on how they each recovered from the meet. Clute and McClinton said their performances at nationals are motivating them for the outdoor season.
“I’ve been thinking about how much harder I need to work to get to nationals outdoor and then to place top-eight outdoor,” McClinton said. “I thought I worked hard for indoor, but I need to step it up.”
