Indiana track and field split up this weekend, with the distance runners traveling to Boston, Massachusetts, for the John Thomas Terrier Classic - and the pole vaulters and jumpers heading to Louisville, Kentucky, for the PNC Lenny Lyles Invitational.
In Boston, the Hoosiers were met with stiff competition from across the country. The men competed on Friday, achieving four personal bests.
Graduate student Skylar Stidham had the highest finish for Indiana, claiming seventh in the 5,000-meter race in a time of 13:52.22. He was joined in earning a personal best with freshman Aidan Lord, who finished 48th in 14:39.63. Aaron Las Heras of Northern Arizona University won the event in 13:16.68.
Graduate student Austin Haskett finished the 3,000-meter race in 8:01.43 to earn him 14th place and a new personal best.
Another top-10 finish for the Hoosiers was snagged by sophomore Nico Colchico, finishing 10th in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:50.29.
The men finished up competition on Saturday with their first distance medley relay of the season, placing second with a time of 9:44.58.
In the women’s 5,000-meter race, senior Phoebe Bates finished 22nd in 16:44.64 and sophomore Tori Schmidt was 34th with a personal best time of 17:22.04.
In the 3,000-meter race, senior Mariah Wehrle placed 17th in 9:34.45 while freshman Lily Myers competed in the event for the first time, placing 21st with a time of 9:38.60.
In Louisville, the women opened competition in the field events on Friday, claiming four podium finishes for the Hoosiers.
Graduate student Jessica Mercier cleared 4.18 meters in the pole vault to earn second place.
In the long jump, graduate students Paola Fernandez-Sola and Serena Bolden jumped 6.19 meters and 5.96 meters, respectively, to finish second and third.
Senior Mahogany Jenkins rounded out Indiana’s strong performance on the first day, finishing second in the high jump after clearing 1.74 meters.
On Saturday, the Hoosiers continued their strong showing with Jenkins claiming the women’s triple jump title with a leap of 12.72 meters — a new personal best.
Graduate students Nathan Stone and Grayson Rolen both had season bests on the men’s side. Stone earned third in the pole vault, clearing 5.42 meters while Rolen jumped 2.10 meters to finish fourth in the high jump.
The Hoosiers will travel to South Bend to compete as an entire team Friday and Saturday at Notre Dame’s Meyo Invitational.
Follow reporter Edie Schwarb (@edieschwarb) for updates throughout the Indiana track and field season.
