IU outdoor track and field returned to Bloomington on Friday to compete in the Big Ten Indiana Invitational No. 2. The Hoosiers came away with 11 wins and multiple podium finishes.
After two weather delays, IU stayed strong, with several of their first place finishes coming late into the night. The Hoosiers took all top five spots in the women’s 3K, which finished around 1a.m. Redshirt freshman Mikaela Ramirez led the way with a time of 9:48.37 to claim victory.
Coming off a week in which head coach Ron Helmer said some of his athletes still have a lot of work to do, IU took a big step Friday, with many younger runners showing they can keep pace with Big Ten competition.
Sophomore Alyssa Robinson was one, winning the 400 meter in a personal best time of 54.11 seconds. Junior Jake Gebhardt earned his first career win in the 3000 meter steeplechase with a personal best mark of 9:15.66.
Senior Leah Moran has yet to lose this season, and that success continued Friday as she won twice. First, she claimed victory in the long jump with a distance of 6.16 meters. She closed the day with a first-place finish in the triple jump with a mark of 12.96 meters.
Sophomore Nathan Stone had a bounce back victory on Friday with a win in the pole vault. Stone cleared a height of 5.30 meters to claim his second first-place finish of the season. Senior Jyles Etienne took home a victory in the high jump with a height of 2.03 meters.
Redshirt freshman Nolan Landis and senior Maddy Pollard also won with two impressive performances. Landis took home a victory in the discus with a mark of 52.12 meters, while Pollard threw a distance of 17.01 to win the shot put.
In the men's 10,000 meter, junior Ben Miller led the way with a time of 30:06.27 to finish first overall. Junior Skylar Stidham joined him on the podium with a third-place finish in 30:40.08. In the women’s 10,000 meter, junior Sarah Schmitt crossed the finish line in 34:56.69 to take second place.
The Hoosiers return to competition next week, looking to build off of the success Friday. They’ll compete in both the Big Ten Meet and the Big Ten Indiana Invitational No. 3, both meets running April 16-17. Some athletes will stay in Bloomington for the Indiana Invite, and others will head to the Big Ten Meet in Prairie View, Texas.
