On Saturday the Hoosiers won the battle, but lost the war.
In the Border Battle featuring IU and Notre Dame taking on Kentucky and Louisville, the Hoosiers and their Irish teammates were edged out in total points on both the men's and women's side. The men fell by four points, 100-96 while the women lost by the same slim margin, 103-99.
Despite not winning in overall points though, the Hoosiers posted impressive marks, cumulating in 12 first place finishes.
Coach Ron Helmer said it was fun to reignite the Kentucky-Indiana rivalry, but the final score was not indicative of how the entire event went.
"The rivalry was a fun, little twist for us," Helmer said. "But at the end of the day, a lot of kids stepped up and put up some big time numbers for us."
Big numbers that came from Hoosiers such as senior Sarah Pease, who improved upon her own school record in the 3,000 meter steeplechase with a time of 10:05.67, the second best in Division I this season. Her senior teammate, Mollye Beckwith, continued her string of strong performances in her last year as a Hoosier. She ran a time of 4:20.17 in the 1,500 meter to win the event.
Other first place finishes for the women came from junior Faith Sherrill in the shot put, junior Lindsey Hartman in the 800 meters, sophomore Aireonna Bailey in the 100 meter dash and the 4x400 relay team.
For the IU men, sophomore Derek Drouin recorded a career best as he won the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 14.45. This victory was his second on the day, to accompany his 2.20 meter winning high jump mark. The men's 4x100 meter relay team also won with a time of 41.22.
In addition to Drouin and the relay team, freshman Andy Bayer was seemingly everywhere on the track, winning both the 1500 and 800 meter races. Bayer ran a 3:41.87 in the 1500 meter race, and finished with a time of 1:50.70 in the 800 after trailing in third place with 100 meters to go.
"In addition to being a great athlete, Andy just has a will to win," Helmer said of Bayer. "He's out there running to win and his will helped him get that victory."
For continuing coverage of IU track and field's outdoor season,recruiting and more, keep reading Hoosier Hype.
