Indiana men’s track and field competed in the annual Gladstein Invitational in Bloomington over the weekend, with several athletes posting the best times of their careers across both sets of events. Competing teams included Lipscomb University, Eastern Illinois University, University of Cincinnati, Oakland University, Saint Louis University and Butler University.
The Hoosiers came out strong Friday, nabbing second and third-place finishes in the 400-meter dash from junior Micah Camble and redshirt sophomore Parker Raymond, respectively. Pole vaulting continued to be a strong point for Indiana as junior Ryan Lipe took gold and sophomore Tyler Sierks finished in second with a personal-best height of 5.05 meters.
In the 3000-meter race, sophomore Tristan Forsythe, redshirt sophomore Austin Haskett and sophomore Gabriel Sanchez all set personal best times. Senior Shaton Vaughn placed second in the 60-meter hurdles as well with a time of 8.15.
Two of the biggest events of the entire meet, the 60-meter dash and the mile race, came in the final pair of races Friday night. The Hoosiers swept the 60-meter dash with redshirt senior Rikkoi Brathwaite clocking in at 6.56 seconds to take first, and junior Antonio Laidler and graduate student Kenny Benton rounding out the top three. Laidler’s time of 6.73 seconds was a personal best.
Brathwaite said after the meet he wasn’t satisfied with his results despite the win and near-personal best.
“I was upset,” Brathwaite said. “Sometimes I tend to break down and not do stuff right, so I just want to focus on perfect execution in my races.”
The ensuing event, the mile run, was the highlight of the weekend for Indiana. Graduate student Ben Veatch won the race, followed by seniors Arjun Jha and Jake Gebhardt. Veach, a Carmel, Indiana, native, broke the four-minute mile barrier en route to his victory with a final time of 3:59.73.
Collapsing after crossing the finish line, Veach seemed to give everything he had to achieve the coveted sub-four-minute mile. Veach said although he appreciates how special the moment was, and more so the fact it came on his home track, he said he is focused on qualifying for the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships when he competes in the 3000-meter race and the mile leg of the distance medley relay next week.
“Breaking four was a bucket list item,” Veach said. “But we move on to bigger and better things as the season goes on.”
On Saturday, the Hoosiers again got off to a quick start, sweeping the 600-meter dash. Vaughn placed first, while Camble and Benton followed behind. Both Vaughn and Benton ran personal bests of 1:20.45 and 1:21.08, respectively. Raymond and junior Reece Proctor both took second place in their respective sections of the 800-meter dash, and Proctor saw a personal best time of 1:54.15.
Sophomore Adam Strouf, a transfer from Auburn University, won his first gold medal at Indiana with his victory in the shot put. His first throw, a mark of 16.94 meters, stood as his best of the day after fouling on each of his following five attempts. Success in the field events continued as senior JaiQuan Earls and junior Dom Day took second and third in the long jump with scores of 7.24 meters and 7.19 meters, respectively.
After an impassioned speech to the team, head coach Ron Helmer gave a glimpse into what he told the athletes.
“We had some people who were upset, who ran really well, that it wasn’t better,” Helmer said. “We reminded them that comparison is the thief of joy. If you start comparing yourself to everything else around the country it’s pretty frustrating, so just be the best you can be.”
To conclude the meet, Indiana’s A teams in the 4 x 800-meter race and 4 x 400-meter race both took first place. Looking ahead, Indiana stays home next week for what Helmer said should be a high-level meet.
Teams such as the University of Mississippi, University of North Carolina, and multiple Big Ten teams will travel to Bloomington for the IU Relays next Friday and Saturday at Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse.
