With the IU Relays scheduled for this weekend in Bloomington, IU track and field Coach Ron Helmer made the decision to rest three of his top distance runners in an effort to preserve their long-term health.
Juniors Brenna Calder and Katherine Receveur and sophomore Haley Harris will all rest after each placed within the top five in the 3,000-meter event last weekend at the Gladstein Invitational.
“They have really good marks on the board and have pretty much done well week after week,” Helmer said. “We think they can probably benefit from a week off and a little extra training and a little extra resting instead of going hard in another meet, and that will set them up really well for the weeks to come.”
The IU Relays will be IU’s last meet before the team travels again. IU will visit South Bend, Indiana, for the Meyo Invitational at Notre Dame in the first weekend of February.
IU head coach Ron Helmer said he wants to capitalize on the confidence the team has right now through the rest of the season.
“We want that confidence to built," Helmer said. "We want them to put really good marks on the board. We want them to be excited about the next opportunity to go out and run or compete in whatever their event is.”
The IU Relays will take place in Gladstein Fieldhouse on Friday and Saturday. The meet will kick off at 5:30 p.m. Friday and run until about 9:30 p.m., and Saturday’s events will begin at 9:00 a.m. and last until 2:00 p.m.
Even with three key distance runners not competing in this invitational, IU’s roster still has plenty of athletes, including senior weight thrower Nakel McClinton, who is returning from an inury, who expect to make the podium.
“One of the exciting things this weekend is Nakel McClinton,” Helmer said. “She was a national meet qualifier last year and an All-American, so she’s one of our top athletes. It’s exciting to see her get going again after having some downtime with injuries, but now she’s 100 percent. She's training well and it will be exciting to see her get out there and throw.”
