As junior Kyle Mau crossed the finish line in Friday’s distance medley relay, the crowd erupted in a barrage of screaming and cheering.
Of course, the cheering was for the first-place finish they were witnessing. But what the crowd had not yet realized was just how remarkable that run truly was.
Mau, along with senior Daniel Michalski and sophomores Zubin Muncherji and Cooper Williams, solidified their spot in the record books by breaking both the school and Gladstein Fieldhouse record with a time of 9:27.30. Their mark was also the best time in the NCAA this season and the seventh-fastest time ever run by a collegiate team on a 200-meter indoor track.
“We would have been happy with anything in the 9:28 or 9:29 range," Mau said. "But to get a school record is just an added bonus. To do that is really special."
Outside of the distance medley relay, the Hoosiers saw success in many different events.
“I’m happy with the effort we got and in a lot of cases that effort resulted in some really spectacular performances,” IU Head Coach Ron Helmer said.
The women's team also took first place in the distance medley relay, completing the sweep. The team of junior Joely Pinkston, sophomore Grace Walther and freshmen De’Aira Robertson and Josey Korte clocked in with a time of 11:46.90.
Senior Haley Harris and her sister, junior Kelsey Harris, also kept their hot start to the season going. Haley won the mile with a time of 4:43.44 while Kelsey took the 800-meter crown in 2:05.83. Haley’s time in the mile was a lifetime best.
Prior to the meet, Helmer highlighted the men’s 3000-meter run. The first heat lived up to the hype as all five participants finished with the top five times in the NCAA this indoor season.
For the Hoosiers, Mau was edged out by Wisconsin’s Oliver Hoare. Mau’s time of 7:50.17 was good enough for a personal record along with the second-fastest time in the NCAA this season. Sophomore Ben Veatch finished third with a time of 7:56.01, giving him the third-fastest time this season in the NCAA.
Other distance runners with big weekends included Michalski, senior Maggie Allen and freshman Jalen Royal. Michalski finished second in the men's mile, while Allen was third in the women’s 5,000-meter. Royal grabbed first place in the men’s 800-meter.
To close out the top finishes on the track side, redshirt freshman Christian Goines took third place in the men’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.32 seconds.
Sophomore Brock Mammoser also set a personal record in the pole vault. His height of 5.25 meters earned him a fifth-place finish, joining junior Adam Coulon who finished first in the event at a height of 5.45 meters.
The women’s shot put saw the Hoosiers take both first and second place. Junior Khayla Dawson took the top honors with a distance of 16.56 meters followed by sophomore Madison Pollard with a distance of 16.45 meters.
To round out the notable finishes on the field side of things, junior Willie Morrison earned second in the shot put with a distance of 19.09 meters.
Indiana returns to competition Feb. 1 for the Power 5 Invitational at Michigan.
