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(01/18/13 5:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Track and Field will participate in its biggest event yet this season as teams from around the country gather Friday and Saturday for the Gladstein Invitational in Bloomington. Invitational races for the women’s and men’s 3000-meter run will highlight the meet.Schools as large as Ohio State will compete against Hillsdale College, a small liberal arts college in Michigan. As for the big events at the meet, the women’s 3000-meter will feature several Hoosier runners. Senior Kelsey Duerksen, who was named the Big Ten Female Track Athlete of the Week, is among the field following her performance against Purdue. It was the second time she earned this recognition this season.IU Coach Ron Helmer said Duerksen is still improving, and as a coach, he is trying to move her into that upper echelon of athletes.“Don’t get me wrong, she’s already really good,” Helmer said. “She’s talented enough and experienced enough that those efforts are resulting in good performances.”Duerksen will also compete in the 4x800-meter relay as she looks to earn herself another athlete of the week bid. The men’s 3000-meter is expected to be quite the show as well. Senior Zach Mayhew and junior Robby Nierman will compete in the event.Helmer said he had high hopes for fast times from the both of them. The last time one of Mayhew’s races was featured as the main event of a meet was before winter break at the Hoosier Open. Mayhew, along with several of the most talented distance runners in the country, competed in a dramatic 5000-meter race. Mayhew said he crossed the line second with a time he was very pleased with.Senior Andy Bayer will pace the field containing a mix of collegiate-affiliated and unattached runners. After last weekend’s victories against Purdue, Helmer said he had mixed emotions about the amount of effort some athletes were showing. “We’ve communicated that a couple of different ways,” Helmer said. “The reality is athletes have to make choices about how they go about their business. As a coach, you can try to manipulate things so that they make the choice you want them to make, but ultimately, the athletes have to decide to take ownership.”Despite this potential setback, Helmer said he expects good performances. “At this point, for some people, we’re just now trying to push the right buttons,” Helmer said. “At the very worst it will be really good.”
(01/17/13 8:34pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Track and Field will play its biggest event yet this season as teams from around the country gather Friday and Saturday for the Gladstein Invitational. Invitational races for the women’s and men’s 3000 meter will highlight the meet.Schools as large as Ohio State will compete against Hillsdale College, a small liberal arts college in Michigan. Most teams hail from the Midwest, but some travel from as far away as Alabama.As for the big events at the meet, the women’s 3000 meter will feature several Hoosier runners. Senior Kelsey Duerksen, who was named the Big Ten Female Track Athlete of the Week, is among the field following her performance against Purdue. It was the second time she earned this recognition this season.IU Coach Ron Helmer said Duerksen is still improving, and as a coach, he is trying to move her into that upper echelon of athletes.“Don’t get me wrong, she’s already really good,” Helmer said. “She consistently gives us really solid efforts. And she’s talented enough and experienced enough that those efforts are resulting in good performances.”Duerksen will also compete in the 4x800-meter relay as she looks to earn herself another athlete of the week bid. Not to be outdone, the men’s 3000 meter is expected to be quite the show as well. Senior Zach Mayhew and junior Robby Nierman will compete in the event.Helmer said he had high hopes for fast times from the both of them. The last time one of Mayhew’s races was featured as the main event of a meet was before winter break at the Hoosier Open. Mayhew, along with several of the most talented distance runners in the country, competed in a dramatic 5000-meter race. Mayhew said he crossed the line second with a time he was very pleased with.Senior Andy Bayer will pace the field containing a mix of collegiate-affiliated and unattached runners. After last weekend’s dual meet victories against Purdue, Helmer said he had mixed emotions about the amount of effort some athletes were showing. “We’ve communicated that a couple of different ways,” Helmer said. “The reality is athletes have to make choices about how they go about their business. As a coach, you can try to manipulate things so that they make the choice you want them to make, but ultimately, the athletes have to decide to take ownership.”Despite this potential setback, Helmer said he expects good performances this weekend. “At this point, for some people, we’re just now trying to push the right buttons,” Helmer said. “At the very worst it will be really good.”
(01/17/13 3:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s and women’s track and field teams came from behind to win both 4x400m relays Saturday, relying on its talented young male and female anchors to win their respective races.They also happen to be siblings.Sophomore Brie Roller and graduate student Lance Roller are middle distance runners on the Hoosier track team. Lance joined his younger sister at IU this year after completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia.“I was planning on going to grad school in the first place,” Lance said. “I knew it was a great program, and everything just fell into place.”Brie said she campaigned for her brother to come to IU ever since she realized it was a possibility. “I’m still excited,” Brie said. “Lance and I have been running track together since I was 7 and he was 10, so we’ve always been in it together. It’s fun to share my college experience with him.”Since the two run similar events, they help each other out when training. “It’s a little bit of big-brother syndrome,” Lance said. “I try to give her hints and stuff without annoying her too much.”Those hints seem to be working. In her last two meets, Brie has won three of her four events, including the 500m on Saturday at the Hoosier Open.Lance has been no slouch either. In the 600m Saturday, he smashed the meet record by 2.34 seconds.But something about relays brings out the best of this family. “I love the big meets,” Brie said. “When there’s competition, you don’t want to lose, especially in a relay when you don’t want to let your team down. It’s just confidence and guts.” Brie has added a lot of confidence and guts since her freshman year. In one year, she’s gone from relatively unknown to an essential member of the women’s team. “Helmer’s been kicking my butt since the fall, and it definitely showed up in that 600m,” Lance said.It’s safe to say the Rollers have both had great starts to the season so far. Regardless of how they finish, it will be quite an experience for the two of them.Brie said the best parts of having her brother at IU with her are sharing experiences and having someone to talk to, she said. “Being so far from home, having someone to relate to as an athlete and family member is great,” she said.“And free carpooling,” Lance said. To Brie and Lance, it’s the little things that mean the most.
(01/15/13 5:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association added IU men’s track standouts Derek Drouin and Andy Bayer to the initial Bowerman preseason watch list last week. Each year, the association honors one male and one female athlete with The Bowerman, the highest award for collegiate track and field.Drouin, a senior, is a three-time NCAA high jump champion and two-time runner-up in his career as a Hoosier. These accomplishments, along with the Olympic bronze medal he won in London, are the main reasons he was added to the watch list. This isn’t the only praise Drouin has received recently. In December, Athletics Canada awarded Drouin the Cal D. Bricker Memorial Trophy for outstanding performance of the year and the F.N.A. Rowell Trophy for outstanding athlete of the year in field events.While Bayer was not on the official watch list for The Bowerman, he was one of six athletes who received mention from the Bowerman committee. He is the 2012 NCAA 1500m champion and has two second-place and two third-place NCAA finishes, as well.IU is the only school with more than one considered athlete. The only other Big Ten male mentioned in the release was Nebraska junior Chad Wright, who received a mention.IU Coach Ron Helmer said he was proud of his two athletes and, though he said he was not surprised they were both recognized, it is rare that two teammates were on The Bowerman Watch List.“It is very unusual to have two athletes from the same team given this consideration, and we and they do not take this for granted,” Helmer said in a press release. “It only gets more difficult, but champions, such as these two, derive their motivation from being challenged at this level and in this manner.”Helmer said, despite the award, he wants to see continued improvement from his two stars. “The challenge going forward for Derek and Andy, plus our coaching staff, is to facilitate continued growth and improve on their remarkable careers,” Helmer said. “We continue to be very proud to be represented by these two outstanding young men.”The Bowerman award, which debuted in 2009, is named after legendary University of Oregon track coach and Nike cofounder Bill Bowerman.
(01/14/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the latest chapter of the IU-Purdue rivalry, the Hoosier men and women defeated their in-state foe Saturday in a dual meet at Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse. The Hoosier men handled their opponent, winning 80-52, but the women found themselves in a much tighter contest. In what proved to be a deciding event, sophomore Brie Roller came from behind to win the 4x400-meter relay on the final leg and put her team in position for a 69-67 victory. “I knew it was all or nothing, so I was going for all,” Roller said. “I look at it as a team effort, and I just did my part.” One of the standouts on the men’s side was Brie’s brother, graduate student Lance Roller, who sprinted his way to the second-fastest 600-meter run in IU history with a time of 1:18.25. He topped that performance by anchoring the men’s 4x400-meter relay and, much like his sister, brought the Hoosiers from behind for the victory. “I knew I was feeling really good, and that, if I went for it, I could do it,” Roller said. “It was really just having confidence in myself and trust in my training. And plus, when you’re going against a rival school, you get that blood going, and you can’t lose.” Roller came to IU for graduate school after spending his undergraduate years at the University of Virginia. While this was his first IU vs. Purdue experience, he said he could still feel something different about this meet. “I know this is a big meet for everybody in the IU family, so I wanted to make sure I did my part and that the Hoosiers got out with the win,” Roller said. “When my teammates go to battle, I go to battle.” Some of those battling teammates for the men included senior Derek Drouin, who won the long jump and took second in the 60-meter hurdles, and sophomore Rorey Hunter, who won the 800-meter run and anchored the winning 4x800-meter relay team. The women were led by senior Kelsey Duerksen, who won the 800-meter and mile runs, and senior Emma Kimoto, whose performance in the high jump sealed IU’s victory. Despite the wins by both teams, IU Coach Ron Helmer said he had mixed emotions about the meet. “We had some great performances, but we also had a whole lot of not-very-good efforts,” Helmer said. “Not only do those kids not help us move forward, they actually hold us back because they give other people an excuse to be kind of mediocre, and we don’t need that.” Helmer said he already saw a few one-on-one conversations between coaches and athletes where there was some attitude adjusting taking place. “Some of our athletes don’t understand what it means to be on a team and have their teammates count on them,” Helmer said. “They think they get out there, and it’s about them. But, it’s not about them. It’s about us.”
(01/13/13 6:49pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the latest chapter of the IU-Purdue rivalry, the Hoosier men and women defeated their in-state foe Saturday in a dual meet at Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse. The Hoosier men handled their opponent, winning 80-52, but the women found themselves in a much tighter contest. In what proved to be a deciding event, sophomore Brie Roller came from behind to win the 4x400-meter relay on the final leg and put her team in position for a 69-67 victory. “I knew it was all or nothing, so I was going for all,” Roller said. “I look at it as a team effort, and I just did my part.” One of the standouts on the men’s side was Brie’s brother, graduate student Lance Roller, who sprinted his way to the second-fastest 600-meter run in IU history with a time of 1:18.25. He then topped off that performance by anchoring the men’s 4x400-meter relay and, much like his sister, brought the Hoosiers from behind for the victory. “I knew I was feeling really good and that if I went for it, I could do it,” Roller said. “It was really just having confidence in myself and trust in my training. And plus, when you’re going against a rival school, you get that blood going, and you can’t lose.” Roller came to IU for graduate school after spending his undergraduate years at the University of Virginia. While this was his first IU vs. Purdue experience, he said he could still feel something different about this meet. “I know this is a big meet for everybody in the IU family, so I wanted to make sure I did my part and that the Hoosiers got out with the win,” Roller said. “When my teammates go to battle, I go to battle.” Some of those battling teammates for the men included senior Derek Drouin, who won the long jump and also took second in the 60-meter hurdles, and sophomore Rorey Hunter, who won the 800-meter run and anchored the winning 4x800-meter relay team. The women were led by senior Kelsey Duerksen, who won the 800-meter and mile runs, and senior Emma Kimoto, whose performance in the high jump helped to seal the victory for IU. Despite the wins by both teams, IU Coach Ron Helmer said he had mixed emotions about the meet. “We had some great performances, but we also had a whole lot of not very good efforts,” Helmer said. “Not only do those kids not help us move forward, they actually hold us back because they give other people an excuse to be kind of mediocre and we don’t need that.” Helmer said he already saw a few one-on-one conversations between coaches and athletes where there was some attitude adjusting taking place. “Some of our athletes don’t understand what it means to be on a team and have their teammates count on them,” Helmer said. “They think they get out there and it’s about them, but it’s not about them. It’s about us.”
(01/11/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Another chapter will be added to the IU-Purdue rivalry this Saturday as the Hoosiers track and field team will host Purdue in Gladstein Fieldhouse in their only dual meet of the season. It is the Hoosiers’ first competition this semester.While recent years have demonstrated dominance for both IU teams, the Hoosier women could be facing a challenge this weekend. The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association released its preseason poll Tuesday, ranking the IU women 106th and Purdue women 57th. The IU men have a decisive advantage of seventh versus Purdue’s 74th.IU Coach Ron Helmer said he hopes when the women’s team sees the success of the men, it will fan the fire a little bit. “I hope [the women’s team] understands where we intend for the program to get to,” Helmer said. “I think there’s a lot of these girls that want to be a part of a team with great success, and this is just one more thing to cause them to have a sense of urgency.”The natural in-state rivalry with Purdue is another potential motivator for the athletes, Helmer said. Several Indiana natives on both teams competed against one another throughout their high school careers and were recruited by both schools.“Any time you get a chance to go up against your rival, especially Purdue, it adds a little extra to the meet,” IU junior Joe Holahan said. “Although the past few years we’ve beaten them pretty bad, we still have to go out there and compete to the best of our ability to beat them again.”Holahan, along with several other Hoosiers, will compete in events he doesn’t normally participate in. He will compete in the 600m and 4x800m relay.The main advantage the IU men’s team will have against the Boilermakers will come in the distance events. The top three finishers in each event generate scoring for this meet, and IU has plenty of depth in the distance races.“It’s too bad that they put a limit on the number of entry spots because we have so many guys that can run so many different events and compete well at them,” Holahan said.Helmer said he thinks mixing up the lineup helps train his athletes through a broad range of events and keeps them fresh and having fun challenging themselves.“There’s a training value, a mental value and a fun value to it in terms of doing certain things you don’t always get to do,” Helmer said.While Helmer said he wants his team to have fun in their only dual meet of the year, he also wants his team to remember who they are competing against.“It is Indiana vs. Purdue, after all,” Helmer said. “So, yeah, there’s absolutely a very genuine level of rivalry there that will find its way to the track on Saturday.”
(01/08/13 11:18pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its preseason rankings today, naming IU's men's team at number seven in the nation. The Hoosiers have closed the last three seasons ranked sixth nationally, so this area is nothing new to the team.The rationale and guidelines for the rankings, as stated on the USTFCCCA website say the rankings “will be compiled by mathematical formulae based on national descending order lists and data taken from previous seasons."The purpose and methodology of the rankings is to create an index that showcases the teams that have the best potential of achieving the top spots in the national-team race.”Seniors high jumper Derek Drouin and distance runner Andy Bayer were the top scorers for IU in the rankings index. They were responsible for 47.51 of the team’s 77.93 total points. Both are expected to make runs at individual national championships in their respective events by seasons end.Arkansas claimed the top spot by a large margin in the men’s poll, accumulating 219.90 points, 100 more points than second-place Florida (119.52). Rounding out the field through IU is Texas, Texas A&M, Oregon and Arizona State.IU Coach Ron Helmer said that since they finished sixth last year, it makes sense for the to be ranked around that this year. He also said that their goal is always to finish the season ranked better than where they started the season at.The women’s team was ranked 107th nationally and only had four girls score points to be considered in the formula. They rounded out last season at No. 85 in the nation.The first step in improving on that number for both teams will be Saturday, Jan. 12, as the Hoosiers host in-state rival Purdue for a dual meet at the Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse.
(12/21/12 9:44pm)
IU senior Derek Drouin is no stranger to track and field awards and
he received two more this past week – only these came from the national
level.
(12/10/12 3:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When the announcer read the accomplishments of the runners in the men’s 5K at the IU track and field team’s Hoosier Open on Dec. 7, it was clear why the race had been so hyped throughout the week.The event included an All-Big 12 athlete, a former Ivy League cross country champion, the defending ACC champion in the 1500m and the Big Ten cross country champion in IU senior Zach Mayhew, among others.Mayhew finished second in the event with a time of 13:51.79. The event’s finishers posted the six fastest times in the nation this year.“I’ve been kind of racking my brain all week worrying about this race, because I knew there was some really good guys,” Mayhew said. For most of the race, Mayhew hung back in sixth place behind two exhibition runners pacing for the field and three other runners. After the pacers dropped out, Mayhew made a move up to third. On the final turn of the race, Mayhew found a burst of speed to pass Texas junior Ryan Dohner.“He was just hanging on and trying to stay close enough so when he reached down he might have a shot at beating somebody,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said.Other notable Hoosier performances came from freshman Cornelius Strickland, sophomore Brie Roller, senior Courtney Woodard and junior Derek Drouin.Strickland, in his first ever college meet, clocked the 10th-fastest 60m dash time in IU history at 6.87 seconds. Roller competed in the women’s 500m dash and never trailed. She finished with a time of 1:14.89 on her way to the victory. Roller also found herself in the middle of one of the more exciting races of the night: the women’s 4x400m relay.When Bellarmine University passed freshman anchor Maggie Bell on her first lap of the final leg of the relay, it looked like the Knights would come away victorious. But Bell had other thoughts as she moved into first on the final straightaway. “I knew Maggie was strong enough to stay right behind her and kick it in at the end,” Roller said. “I even ran the last 50 meters with her just to be sure.”Woodard and Drouin highlighted day two of competition by each winning the pentathlon. Woodard scored 3,660 points while winning four of the five events. Drouin finished with 4,009 points, 394 ahead of second place. The Hoosiers will continue to train over winter break as they prepare for their next meet: a Jan. 12 dual meet in Bloomington against Purdue. Helmer said that while he thinks his team is talented enough to compete now, the intangibles are what really could set this team apart.“We’re talented enough,” Helmer said. “But when you take enough talent and mix it with competitive spirit, you get a chance to go forward with a high-level competitor, and that’s what I saw.”
(12/06/12 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s and women’s track and field teams kick off their seasons this weekend as they prepare to host the Hoosier Open. The Hoosiers will welcome a competitive field to Gladstein Fieldhouse, with the men’s 5000-meter race on Friday and men’s and women’s pentathlons on Saturday highlighting the meet.Senior Zach Mayhew, who is coming off a successful cross country season in which he won the individual Big Ten Championship, will represent IU in the 5K.“I’m just really hoping that the fitness from cross country carries over well,” Mayhew said. “It’s only been a few weeks since the last race so I think I’m just going to get in there and try to hang with the group.”Since he wrapped up his Hoosier cross country career at the 2012 NCAA Cross Country Championships only three weeks ago, Mayhew said IU Coach Ron Helmer has been helping him adjust for shorter races. The extra training will come in handy as the NCAA changed how runners qualify for postseason competition.While in the past competitors were tasked to qualify by achieving a certain time, this year the rules have been changed to simply take the top 16 best times.“It does change the strategy a little bit because I guess you have to wait for the end of the year to see if you qualified,” Mayhew said. “But Coach Helmer usually tries to get us to run fast no matter what time of year it is.”Helmer has set up the 5K to be the feature event on Friday. Six of the eight entrants in that race have run 13:53 or faster at some point in their career, just a couple ticks off last year’s national qualifying time of 13:50.“In the 5K, these are kids all coming in here to run competitively,” Helmer said. “That’s gonna be a high level race where there is a fairly distinct sense of purpose, so there will be a different level of intensity there.”Another Hoosier competitor to watch out for is 2012 Olympics High Jump Bronze Medalist Derek Drouin, who will compete in the 60-meter hurdles on Friday and the pentathlon on Saturday. “Any time Derek Drouin does something on the track it will be really cool,” Helmer said. “But also our male and female pole-vaulters and some of our young sprinters are really talented. There’s going to be a lot of races and it should be really fun to watch.”Helmer said he thinks of this meet as a way to get his athletes out on the track in a competitive situation and let them perform. As the members of last year’s recruiting class prepare for their first intercollegiate meet, Helmer said it will be important to evaluate his new athletes early.“Because we have so many new people, we’re not sure how everyone’s going to transfer their fitness to the competitive track,” Helmer said. “Some are going to handle it really well. It’ll give us some talking points that we can go to as we start to better prepare for what’s to come.”
(11/26/12 5:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU senior Zach Mayhew was named an All-American after his performance in the 2012 NCAA Championship meet on Nov. 17 in Louisville, Ky. Mayhew finished 13th individually and crossed the line with a time of 29:32 during the 10K course.Mayhew became the third Hoosier cross country runner to earn All-American honors in the past three seasons — an accomplishment that can be added to the Big Ten individual title and second place finish at NCAA Regionals.His 13th place finish is the best Hoosier performance since Bob Kennedy won the event in 1992.“That’s a long time ago, and there have been some really good runners here since then,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said. “The fact that he was able to cap off his year in that way is great. We knew he would, but saying it is one thing, and him actually doing it is another.”The men’s team finished in 18th place at nationals, a performance Helmer said he was very pleased with, considering the team was without senior Andy Bayer. At NCAA Regionals, Bayer finished fourth overall, but came out of the race hurt, and Helmer didn’t want to risk further injury.“I thought we would be lucky to beat anyone without Andy,” Helmer said. “It created a need for us to talk about that extra challenge. At the very least, it created a sense of urgency that they couldn’t mess up.”The Hoosiers finished seventh nationally in 2010 and 2011. Other men’s scorers included junior Robby Nierman (104th, 30:45), sophomore JR Ricker (116th, 30:52), sophomore Even Esselink (148th, 31:05) and freshman Owen Skeete (197th, 31:38).“He did exactly what we needed him to do,” Helmer said of Skeete, who was Bayer’s replacement. “He ended the year as our eighth runner, moved up to seventh after Andy went down, and finished as our fifth. I was really happy with that.”In the women’s race, sophomore Kelsey Duerksen qualified as an individual and finished the 6K run with a time of 21:04, good for 145th place overall.Helmer said both he and Duerksen knew it would be harder running without teammates.“She was really right on the verge of having a really good race,” Helmer said. “She still needs a little more training to perform at the level she is capable. She represented herself and our team well.”This meet capped off the year for the men’s and women’s cross country teams.Several of the athletes will now begin training for indoor and outdoor track and field events. “I love how our athletes rose to the challenge this year and stepped up and gave us performances we can be proud of,” Helmer said. “A bunch of inexperienced runners maintained composure and gave a really good performances all year.”
(11/16/12 5:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s cross country team and sophomore women’s runner Kelsey Duerksen will compete in the NCAA Championship meet Nov. 17. The meet will be in Louisville, Ky., at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park and conclude the 2012 cross country season.The men’s team will compete without senior Andy Bayer after he finished last weekend’s regional qualifier in fourth place.“He’s too good of an athlete to send him out there for another race and come out with another setback,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said. “So we won’t have him for the national meet, which is a huge blow because he’s really good.”Freshman Owen Skeete, who finished third at the Hoosier Invitational earlier this year, is replacing Bayer.The Hoosiers placed seventh in 2010 and 2011 and will fight to improve that mark this weekend. Senior Zach Mayhew leads a relatively inexperienced lineup that includes two seniors, one junior, two sophomores and two freshmen.“Most of these guys have never been to a national meet of any kind,” Helmer said. “But they’ve met the challenge and handled it pretty well up to this point. We just need to make sure that they can stay composed and give themselves a chance to do something special relative to their preparation and experience that they have.”After winning the Big Ten individual crown and finishing second in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional meet, Mayhew looks to improve upon a 64th place finish in last year’s national meet.“The challenge is to get Zach Mayhew an All-American certificate and get him as high up there as we possibly can,” Helmer said. “He’s demonstrated all year long that he’s ready to have a great national meet.”In the women’s race, Duerksen became the second athlete to compete nationally for the Hoosiers. She qualified as an individual by finishing 14th at the regional meet.This time she won’t have the benefit of running knowing her teammates are out there with her. “It’s hard to compete as an individual when you’re used to having teammates out there,” Helmer said. “Most of our athletes are very into being a part of a team and helping their team accomplish things.”She has never competed in a national meet of any kind. Helmer said gaining that experience and competing well at this elite level is another goal for this weekend.“We need to give ourselves a chance to beat some people,” Helmer said. “Overall, in both races, we are very young and inexperienced, but we still feel we can go out and represent ourselves positively as a team.”
(11/12/12 5:34am)
The IU men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the Great
Lakes Regional this weekend in Madison, Wisc. The men’s team finished
third and qualified for an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship meet
next weekend.
(11/09/12 4:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s and women’s cross country teams look to qualify for nationals this Friday in Madison, Wis., in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. Teams from Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio will compete in the men’s 10K race and the women’s 6K.The top two teams from the regional competition automatically qualify for nationals, and 13 teams from around the nation are selected at-large. Additionally, the top four individuals not on a qualifying team go.The men’s team finished second at the regional meet last year, and then-junior Samantha Ginther qualified as an individual for the women.The Hoosier men are coming off a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championship meet two weekends ago. Senior Zach Mayhew won the event as an individual, and senior Andy Bayer placed fourth overall.“Zach will perform well this weekend,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said. “He and Andy will go right to that front pack like they have been, settle in and get small numbers.”This is the first time the men run a 10K at the regional meet, and Helmer said because of that, strategy will play a big role in the race.“The NCAA Finals are a week from Saturday, and that’s only eight days rest from regionals,” Helmer said. “So what we really want to do is as much as possible, with as little as we need to get qualified. We want to come out of this healthy and fit and able to recover.”After Mayhew and Bayer, the Hoosier lineup thins out. Of the third through seventh runners for IU, none finished in the top 20 at the Big Ten Championships.Helmer said he is looking for improvement on the back end of his lineup.“They need to execute the race plan,” Helmer said. “They need to have enough discipline so that they expend their energy appropriately and have three, four or five guys charging at the end.”Ginther will look to lead her team into a qualifying spot this year.“They need to trust themselves and go ahead and take advantage of the work and fitness that they’ve accomplished,” Helmer said of the women. “They can go in and represent themselves really well. The problem is they need to give themselves a chance.”For both teams, the ultimate goal this weekend is to qualify for the national meet. “We just need to get through,” Helmer said. “I don’t care if we win the regional or not, we just need to advance and come out healthy.”
(11/08/12 5:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU is grieving the loss of former IU athlete Milton Gray Campbell, who died this past Friday at his home in Gainesville, Ga., after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 78. Campbell earned a 1956 Olympic Gold medal in the decathlon, becoming the first African American to win gold in the event, and is one of the most decorated athletes in IU history.Campbell was born in 1933, in Plainfield, N.J., and attended Plainfield High School. He competed and started in several sports, notably track and field, swimming and football, en route to earning an athletic scholarship to IU.But before arriving at IU, Campbell attended the 1952 U.S. Olympic trials as a high school senior. After failing to qualify in the high hurdles, he tried the decathlon for the first time and qualified for the team. He later went on to win the silver medal at the Helsinki Games as the only high school athlete on the U.S. team. Campbell was a member of the inaugural class in the Indiana Athletics Hall of Fame after spending two years at IU, where he starred in football and track and field. His studies at IU were cut short by his enlistment in the Navy in 1955.At the 1956 U.S. Olympic Trials, Campbell once again missed qualifying for the high hurdles but made it in the decathlon. Campbell went to the Melbourne Games and won the gold medal while scoring a then-record number of points in the event.When he returned to America, he was drafted in the NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns as a running back. After spending one year in the same backfield as future NFL Hall-of-Famer Jim Brown, the Browns cut Campbell, which he claimed was because he married a white woman. Campbell then played in the Canadian Football League until 1964, when he moved back to New Jersey. Back in his home state, he started doing humanitarian work, including opening a private school for underprivileged children and co-founding a community center.In more recent years, Campbell received honors from the New Jersey Hall of Fame, International Swimming Hall of Fame and National Track and Field Hall of Fame. In 2000, the New Jersey Sportswriters Association named Campbell its New Jersey Athlete of the Century. Throughout his life, Campbell openly expressed his frustration at being less celebrated than other great U.S. decathletes of his time. He also claimed he was blackballed by the NFL after being released from the Browns.Campbell is survived by his ex-wife, daughter, two sons, granddaughter, great-grandson and sister. His son Milton Jr. died in 1987.Campbell’s competitive drive was well-known among his friends and family. In his interview with The Star-Ledger, Campbell recollected a discussion with his high school track coach.“He asked me what I wanted to be. I told him, ‘The best athlete in Plainfield.’ Then it became ‘the best in New Jersey’ and ‘the best in America’ and ‘the best in the world.’”
(11/05/12 5:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana cross country runners who won’t compete in next week’s NCAA Great Lakes Regional championship meet ran in their final race of the year.IU sponsored the Hoosier Invitational Friday at the IU Championship Cross Country Course.The top IU runners did not compete and rested for regionals weekend. IU Coach Ron Helmer said he uses this meet to give closure to the seasons for runners who won’t compete in regionals, especially younger runners.“We got great efforts out of some young kids who were really inexperienced,” Helmer said. “They’re still out here running really well. This is probably the fastest I’ve ever had true freshmen run.”No team scores were kept in the competition, which allowed several former IU runners as well as redshirt athletes to run unattached in the race, often to set a pace for the other competitors. Senior Ashley Seymour was IU’s top women’s finisher with a time of 19:17 to earn her sixth place in the women’s 5-kilometer race. It was her final race as an IU Cross Country runner.Seymour said she thought she ran her race well and was pleased with how she ended her cross country career at IU. She will, however, compete in events for the track team later this year.In the men’s race, freshman Owen Skeete was the fastest IU runner with a time of 25:01 in the 8-kilometer race.“I thought I ran a very strategic race today,” Skeete said. “Usually I’m more of a person that likes to put it away at the start, but I kind of held back for at least two miles, and after that it was just me settling in and forcing myself to pick it up again.”Helmer has said he uses this meet as a way to forecast the future of IU cross country due to the unlimited number of entries allowed and the low-key atmosphere of the event. “We return a large number next year, and we have a large number of people to add to our active roster who have shown me they are going to compete for those top spots,” Helmer said. “Giving good and competitive efforts is what we take pride in.”The Hoosiers’ next action will be the Great Lakes Regional on Friday in Madison, Wis., where the team looks to qualify for nationals the following weekend. But while the future is unknown for those events, Helmer said the long-term future of the program is solid thanks to young competitors like Skeete.“I think for a lot of them, what I saw was just people competing hard,” Helmer said. “When they can show themselves, as well as their coaches and teammates that they can stick their nose in and compete hard, that’s the ultimate goal.”
(11/02/12 4:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s and women’s cross country teams will compete in their final regular season event today when they host the Hoosier Invitational. The men’s team comes off a third-place finish in the Big Ten Championship last weekend while the women finished eighth at the meet. The performance was highlighted by senior Zach Mayhew’s victory in the men’s race, but the top runners for IU won’t compete this weekend.“What we do with this meet is make it a season-culminating meet for those athletes not in our top seven,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said. “We have some very good athletes who are young or redshirted or developing who need a meet to finish their year off.”This competition is also different in regard to how it is scored. Unlike most events in which the Hoosiers have competed, this weekend will offer no team scores, just individual performances. This is to allow redshirted runners the opportunity to compete in the event while following NCAA regulations.Despite the lack of team scoring at the event, Helmer said he expects his runners to compete well in Bloomington.“It’s fun to run our home course because it’s a great traditional cross country course,” Helmer said. “It’s the same course that greats like Bob Kennedy ran on, so it’s a great way to go back in time and connect with a lot of those individuals who hold an esteemed place in our history.”However, Helmer said he doesn’t think running at home gives his squads any competitive edge with the competition. Friday will offer a glimpse of the not-so-distant future of IU cross country. Since most regular season meets only allow seven runners per school per event, many of IU’s and other schools’ younger athletes who might not have made the top seven this year will have a chance to prove their merit.“For those younger kids, to be able to have a week to get their legs some rest and point towards a hard effort out on the course is good,” Helmer said. “Our feeling is anything we can do to take a step forward this weekend just starts us at a different place competitively next fall. The future is a big part of this meet.”Because this meet serves as a source of closure for runners who won’t compete in the postseason, Helmer said he expects his runners to compete hard, especially since they won’t be competing for about 10 months.“Some of them are tired,” Helmer said. “Some are still in the midst of some high-level training that their bodies are still adjusting to, but I want them to act like it matters. Competing hard and getting ourselves ready on race day is what we need to be about, and we will go out and get that done.”
(10/25/12 4:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When IU senior Rosie Davies came to America, she knew what she wanted to do. While there were universities in her native England that she could attend, she knew she would get a better experience playing college golf in America.“We don’t have the same collegiate system for sports as there is over here,” Davies said. “You can’t really go to a university and play a sport at a high level. You either go to university or turn pro.”Davies originally attended Lehigh in Pennsylvania her freshman year before transferring to IU.“I just wanted a better golf program where there was a bigger conference,” Davies said. “I like that there is more team spirit here, too.”Davies said she came to America because the culture is most similar to England’s, yet there are still clear differences.“Obviously it’s different,” Davies said. “I’m surrounded by American accents, for one thing. When I hear an English accent, it’s a nice feeling. It reminds me of home.”Davies said the most dramatic changes aren’t because she is an international student, but adjusting from big-city life to Bloomington was her biggest obstacle to overcome“I’m from London, and coming from a huge metropolitan city to a college town like Bloomington was a shock,” Davies said. “But I love that aspect of Bloomington. Everything is so local.”While Davies said she loves Bloomington, she does make sure to return to England every winter and summer to see her family and friends.She also uses this time to keep her golf game sharp by competing in various tournaments.“Over the summer, I competed in the British Amateur Tournament Championship at Carnoustie Golf Course,” Davies said. “It’s a famous course in Scotland where they’ve had tournaments like the men’s British Open, so that was a really cool experience.”Davies also competed in the English Mid-Amateur Tournament, where she was able to earn a ninth-place finish.She said she was thrilled to have placed top-10 against some of the best amateur opponents in the world. When it comes to golf, Davies said the biggest difference is the tone of the sport in the two countries. While in America golf is seen as a recreational sport for anyone to play, some areas of England are a bit more exclusive.“English clubs are very tied to traditional class systems where golf is seen as the sport of the elite,” Davies said. “I had an experience this summer where I was eating in a clubhouse and wasn’t actually allowed in a part of the restaurant because it was men-only.”Davies isn’t the only foreign-born member of the women’s golf team.Three of her 10 teammates are from outside the U.S.“We have a good team dynamic because everyone is from a different background,” Davies said. “And that’s cool. We literally have people from all over the world, which makes a nice mix of cultures. We learn a lot from each other.”
(10/24/12 3:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Coming back from third place after two rounds, the Indiana women’s golf team rallied to earn the victory Tuesday during their last tournament before winter break, the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown. Sophomore Elizabeth Tong tied for the individual win and led the Hoosiers in one of their strongest performances this year, IU Coach Clint Wallman said.“I’m not sure I would call it our best performance of the season, but I would call it our grittiest,” he said. “Round two was tough because of winds all day, but we talked about putting ourselves in a position to have a chance and we did just that.”Wallman said the team’s goal on Tuesday was to shoot the lowest score of any team.While it didn’t accomplish that, the team’s 295 was enough to notch a three-stroke victory against second place Central Florida.The Hoosiers opened and closed the fall with tournament victories. Tuesaday’s triumph was their first win since their first event of the season, the IU Fall Kickoff. Tong also won that event on the individual stage.Tong’s final round score of 68 (-4) tied for her best of the season. She didn’t record a single bogey Tuesday. She finished the tournament with a score of 2-under 214 (70-76-68).“To not make a bogey in 18 holes is really good,” Wallman said of Tong’s third round. “To not make a bogey in a tournament in adverse conditions with the lead is extraordinary. She did what she does best and came out on top.”Graduate student Kristen Schelling shot a 2-under 70 during her last round, which moved her from tied for 16th to a tie for sixth by the end of the day. She finished with a 221 after going -3 on her last seven holes.Schelling was somewhat familiar with the course, having played on it while at UNLV as an undergraduate.“This was a nice feather in her cap to win this tournament at a course she played when she was at UNLV,” Wallman said. “There was a lot of pressure on her and she actually missed a few putts over the first two and a half days. But when we needed her she really came through on those last seven holes.”Freshman Marissa DeCola had a team-high score on the second hole, where she recorded a nine on a par three. She came back to go +2 the rest of her round for a final score of 79.“She played remarkably,” Wallman said. “Anytime you have a big number like that, it can shake you, but she’s a competitor and buckled down and chipped away to finish under 80. The books doesn’t reflect nearly her effort today.”The Hoosiers now head into the winter offseason sporting their first major win of the year. They come back Feb. 10 to compete in the Lady Puerto Rico Classic.“Anytime you win a big tournament against people ranked ahead of you, that gives confidence,” Wallman said. “For us, it doesn’t build confidence as much as validate our confidence. We did well this week, but still not our best and were able to win.”