IU Coach Ron Helmer had nothing but positive things to say about his women’s track and field team after spending the weekend in South Bend, Indiana, for the Meyo Invitational.
“We had a really, really good weekend,” Helmer said. “It’s probably the best weekend of track and field I’ve had at IU in a long time.”
IU was able to break school records in both the distance medley relay and the 3,000-meter race, with All-American sophomore Katherine Receveur involved in both.
The distance medley relay team, consisting of junior Brenna Calder, sophomore Taylor Williams, senior Olivia Hippensteel and Receveur was able to beat out Michigan with a time of 11:06.15.
The team was also able to shave three seconds off the previous IU record.
Receveur added another school record to her résumé with a 3,000-meter time of 9:03.71.
She currently holds the fastest time in the NCAA this season for the race.
Helmer said he is confident Receveur will be able to continue this level of success because of her competitive mindset.
“She absolutely deserves everything that’s coming her way,” Helmer said. “She’s obviously talented enough to be able to do those things. She’s very committed and she works at a very high level.”
Not only does Receveur’s success impact her team in terms of points and rankings, Helmer said, but it also has a positive impact on the other athletes in the track and field program.
“She sets a standard, a higher standard for everybody to work towards,” Helmer said. “We’ve seen great outcomes with our women’s team and with this year’s results.”
In the 5,000-meter race, sophomore Maggie Allen was able to grab second place with a time of 16:29.54 to secure the ninth fastest time in IU history and a top-30 time nationally this season.
Despite some subpar performances from his sprinters, Helmer said he was not too worried about how his team placed in this meet.
He said the talent that competed at the meet challenged his athletes and will be good for them in the long run.
With the Big Ten championships just two weeks away, Helmer said he wants his team to focus more on themselves than opponents.
“This is a reflection of the level of competition, and on the women’s side there were still a lot of personal records broken,” Helmer said. “As the competition gets better, we aren’t always going to find ourselves at the front like some of the meets we’ve been in earlier.”
