Indiana track and field hosted its last indoor meet of the season Friday and Saturday in Gladstein Fieldhouse. The Hoosiers welcomed eight teams to Bloomington.
In two days of competition, Indiana finished with 15 event wins and 26 personal bests.
On Friday, graduate student Austin Haskett had a dominant performance in his season debut. He finished first in the men’s mile with a new personal best time of 3:58.59, earning him the fifth fastest time currently in NCAA Division I, as well as taking over the No. 10 spot in program history.
Graduate student Skylar Stidham, sophomore Garrett Hicks and freshman Brayden Henkle also tallied personal bests in the men’s mile.
In the women’s mile, senior Mariah Wehrle finished with a personal best of 4:51.16, earning her first place. Freshman Lily Myers wasn’t far behind in her collegiate debut, finishing third in 4:55.98.
Stidham won the men’s 5000-meter race in a time of 14:28.83.
In the heptathlon, freshman Garrett Messer tallied 2,765 points to take the lead in the event for the Hoosiers.
Graduate student Kenisha Phillips — fresh off of breaking back-to-back school records in the previous two meets — competed in the 600-meter dash for the first time and finished in 1:32.84, earning her first place.
To conclude the running events on Friday, sophomore John Colquitt won the 200-meter dash in 21.81 seconds.
The Hoosiers also had a strong showing in the field events.
Graduate student Paola Fernandez-Sola finished in first place in the women’s long jump with a distance of 6.24 meters to earn her her first event title and a new season best mark. This also put her at No. 10 in the NCAA.
In the women’s high jump, senior Mahogany Jenkins placed second, clearing the bar at 1.69 meters.
Graduate student Nathan Stone earned the Hoosiers another podium finish in the men’s pole vault with a vault of 5.05 meters to secure second place.
Messer maintained his lead in the heptathlon on Saturday, finishing with 4,691 points to win the event for the first time. He was followed by freshman Max Grangier who earned 4,609 points, and put him second.
The Hoosiers had dominant performances in the men’s and women’s 3000-meter runs.
On the men’s side, Haskett finished first in 8:08.42 — a personal best. He was followed by freshman Aidan Lord who placed second in 8:11.10. Four additional Hoosiers earned personal bests in the race.
Wehrle led the way for the women’s event — earning first with a time of 9:40.09. Senior Phoebe Bates also had a podium finish, placing third with 9:46.7.
Indiana swept the men’s 800-meter race, with junior Camden Marshall finishing first in 1:49.61, graduate student Parker Raymond second in 1:49.98 and senior Keelan Grant in third with a time of 1:51.82. Marshall and Raymond now hold the nation’s seventh and 10th fastest times, respectively.
Senior Maddie Russin won the women’s 800-meter in 2:09.37, followed by Myers who earned third in 2:13.58.
In the women’s 60-meter dash finals, graduate student Serena Bolden placed first with a time of 7.71 seconds.
Graduate student Grayson Rolen and freshman Deepak Laungani earned podium finishes in the men’s high jump. Rolen won the event, clearing 2.04 meters to tie his season best while Laungani placed second, clearing 1.90 meters.
In the women’s pole vault, graduate student Jessica Mercier finished first with a vault of 4.27 meters, earning her the ninth best mark in NCAA Division I.
Indiana swept the 4x400 meter relays to finish off the weekend, with the men’s “A” and “B” teams finishing first and second, respectively, also earning season bests. The women’s “A” and “B” teams also earned first and second, with the “A” team achieving a season best.
The Hoosiers will split next weekend as the distance athletes travel to Boston, Massachusetts to participate in the two-day John Thomas Terrier Classic. The rest of the group will head to Louisville, Kentucky, for the PNC Lenny Lyles Invitational, both taking place Jan. 26 and 27.
Follow reporter Edie Schwarb (@edieschwarb) for updates throughout the Indiana track and field season.
