Catch your breath.
The Big Ten Cross-Country Championships are done, and it’s time for the season to move forward.
IU Coach Ron Helmer said he wants his runners to carry the momentum from their quality finishes forward and apply it this weekend when the team is the host of the Hoosier Invitational and faces Indiana State and other smaller schools.
IU has competed against Indiana State twice this season and have outrun the Sycamores each time. At the Indiana Intercollegiate Championship IU swept every team, including Indiana State, and later in the year at the Pre-National Invitational, IU placed fifth and Indiana State placed 36th.
The Hoosiers are coming off of an impressive performance at the Big Ten Championships. Senior Jason Crist led the men’s team to a third-place finish and with fellow senior Matt Schwartzer and freshman Ben Veatch earned All-Big Ten honors at the meet. Sophomore Katherine Receveur finished second, guided the women’s team to an eighth-place finish and was the only Hoosier to receive All-Big Ten honors.
Six IU runners finished in the top 10 in last year’s Hoosier Invitational and In the past the Hoosiers have had major success. Last year’s lineup featured runners such as senior Matt Schwartzer, who is now the Hoosiers’ No. 2 runner.
Another No. 2 runner for IU competed in last year’s invitational as well. Sophomore Brenna Calder, who has finished behind Receveur all year, was featured in last year’s meet.
This year the Hoosier Invitational will feature the eighth and ninth runners at the Big Ten Championships, runners who did not race in the championship meet and others who will not compete in next week’s NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships in Madison, Wisconsin.
Helmer said he is looking forward to seeing his runners compete this weekend and is looking for different runners to prove themselves. Some may not be primary runners for the Hoosiers now but, with improvement, could be features for IU in years to come.
One runner to watch Friday is senior Carl Smith, who placed seventh for the Hoosiers and 51st overall at the Big Ten Championships. He led the Hoosiers at the Bradley Classic on Oct. 14 when they finished seventh.
Freshmen Katherine Free will be one to watch on the women’s side. Free started off the year running unattached but managed to place in the top five of the Indiana Intercollegiate meet Sept. 16.
The women’s 5k will begin at 3:20 p.m., and the men’s 8k will begin at 4 p.m.
"This race will give younger and less-experienced runners a chance to prove themselves, but I’m looking forward to enjoying the meet at home,” Helmer said.
