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(04/16/12 3:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>While it was not a basketball game, the Border Battle on the Louisville campus had an audience abuzz with excitement. Team Indiana (Notre Dame and IU) claimed victory against Team Kentucky (Louisville and Kentucky) in the men’s and women’s competitions. Team Indiana men won by a combined score of 113-81, while the women edged out Team Kentucky 101.5-100. The Hoosiers were in control from the beginning, shining in the 1,500 meters. Junior Kelsey Duerksen won the women’s 1,500-meter in a time of 4:19.81, placing her fourth in school history in the event. On the men’s side, the Hoosiers finished 1-2-3, with senior De’Sean Turner (3:46.22), senior Andy Weatherford (3:46.64) and junior Zach Mayhew (3:47.98). The distance squad continued to dazzle with junior Andrew Bayer and senior Danny Stockberger finishing first and second in the 800 meter in times of 1:49.17 and 1:49.31, respectively. Senior Jordan Gray placed second in the women’s 800-meter in a time of 2:07.88. In the sprints, senior Kind Butler continued his winning ways, cruising to a victory in the 400 meter in a time of 46.31. Butler was also a member of the winning 4x100 squad, which, aside from Butler, consisted of sophomore Tyler Sult, junior Chris Vaughn and freshman Nick Stoner. Sult showed the versatility of the Hoosier sprinters by winning the 200 meter in a time of 21.03, as well as serving as the anchor of the 4x400 squad, which placed second in a season-best time of 3:11.41. The Hoosiers will be back in action next weekend at the Polytan Invitational at Billy Hayes Track at home.
(04/16/12 1:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>While it was not a basketball game, the Border Battle on the Louisville campus had an audience abuzz with excitement. Team Indiana (Notre Dame and IU) claimed victory against Team Kentucky (Louisville and Kentucky) in the men’s and women’s competitions. Team Indiana men won by a combined score of 113-81, while the women edged out Team Kentucky 101.5-100. The Hoosiers were in control from the beginning, shining in the 1,500 meters. Junior Kelsey Duerksen won the women’s 1,500-meter in a time of 4:19.81, placing her fourth in school history in the event. On the men’s side, the Hoosiers finished 1-2-3, with senior De’Sean Turner (3:46.22), senior Andy Weatherford (3:46.64) and junior Zach Mayhew (3:47.98). The distance squad continued to dazzle with junior Andrew Bayer and senior Danny Stockberger finishing first and second in the 800 meter in times of 1:49.17 and 1:49.31, respectively. Senior Jordan Gray placed second in the women’s 800-meter in a time of 2:07.88. In the sprints, senior Kind Butler continued his winning ways, cruising to a victory in the 400 meter in a time of 46.31. Butler was also a member of the winning 4x100 squad, which, aside from Butler, consisted of sophomore Tyler Sult, junior Chris Vaughn and freshman Nick Stoner. Sult showed the versatility of the Hoosier sprinters by winning the 200 meter in a time of 21.03, as well as serving as the anchor of the 4x400 squad, which placed second in a season-best time of 3:11.41. The Hoosiers will be back in action next weekend at the Polytan Invitational at Billy Hayes Track at home.
(04/13/12 3:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Indiana-Kentucky rivalry will take on a new twist as the Hoosier track and field squads will travel south to Louisville, Ky., to take part in the Border Battle. The meet will feature Team Indiana, consisting of Notre Dame and IU, taking on Team Kentucky, consisting of Louisville and Kentucky.The Hoosier throwers, led by senior Dan Galos, are primed for a breakout weekend, he said. “Each week, it seems as though most of us have been progressing very well,” Galos said. “This weekend’s meet at Louisville will be a smaller meet, but it will have some big competitors. We’re looking forward to a big weekend and to keeping the ball rolling.” Individually, Galos said he is determined to carry the momentum of setting a personal record in the hammer throw two weeks ago at the Mike Poehlein Invitational. The Border Battle gives the Hammond, Ind., native an opportunity to prove himself against Louisville’s throwers, who are considered to be among the nation’s best. “In the past, I’ve struggled at big meets and seeing how far those guys are throwing,” Galos said. “I’ve messed up and gotten nervous, but I think I’ve gotten better with that, and I know the girls have gotten better with that.” Galos is also focused on the big picture, with preparation for the NCAA Championships coming in the form of meets such as the Border Battle. “Moving into the rest of the season, I’ve been watching a lot of video and breaking things down to the finer points of my technique,” Galos said. “I’m at a level where I’m strong enough and I understand the throw well enough that I can continue to hit these marks and move forward.”Galos’ coach, Ron Helmer, said he believes sending his athletes to a smaller meet such as the Border Battle has a specific purpose for his team. “I always enjoy bringing everybody together at the same place,” Helmer said. “Too often in track and field, teams are split up. This weekend will be the first time that we have most of our top-level athletes, along with the rest of the group, together at the same place.” However, Helmer said he is not buying into the IU-Kentucky rivalry that has permeated the Bloomington campus for the better part of the past four months. “I think that’s a basketball thing,” Helmer said. “I don’t think we’re any more excited about trying to beat Kentucky than we would be about beating Ohio State or Wisconsin.”
(04/12/12 1:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU track and field program has announced that one of its former greats, Willie May, has passed away peacefully at the age of 75. Prior to May’s time as a Hoosier, he attended Blue Island High School in Illinois, where he starred in the low and high hurdles. May won Illinois state championships in both events as a prep phenom. Those accomplishments earned May a place on the IU track and field squad. It was as a member of the squad that May won seven Big Ten Conference championships between 1957 and 1959. May also starred as a United States Olympian, earning a silver medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. He also added to his sterling awards collection by bringing home another silver medal at the 1963 Pan American Games. Following his professional career, May went on to a career in teaching and coaching at Evanston Township High School, beginning in 1975 and ending in 1999. During those 25 seasons as a head coach, May led the program to one IHSA state championship. His athletes also brought in five individual state championships. Following his retirement from teaching and coaching, May was inducted into the IU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000, the Illinois Track & Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. Current IU Coach Ron Helmer never met May but spoke highly of the former star, according to a press release.“While I did not know Willie May personally, I certainly know of his legendary contributions to the Indiana track and field program and the Indiana University community as a whole,” Helmer said.
(03/29/12 2:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The awards keep rolling in for IU track and field athletes. Junior Emma Kimoto and seniors De’Sean Turner and Breanne Ehrman have been named Big Ten Athletes of the Week, per an announcement from the Big Ten Conference.Ehrman and Turner were awarded for their sizzling performances in the steeplechase, and Kimoto was rewarded for claiming a first-place finish in the high jump competition during the Big Ten/SEC Challenge last weekend. Turner broke the men’s meet and facility record in the steeplechase, winning in a time of 8:52.58. Ehrman did just the same, breaking the women’s meet and facility record in a winning time of 10:21.38.Ehrman’s time was two seconds shy of her career best and places her second on the Division I list this season.The steeplechase is one of the Hoosiers’ most successful events, as the men took first and second place and the women sweeping first, second and third.IU Coach Ron Helmer said he was pleased with the performances of his athletes during the weekend, according a press release from the school.Kimoto stole the show during the field events, capturing a victory in the high jump, clearing 1.76 meters. The mark was two centimeters of Kimoto’s career best jump. “We had a good start to the season in Mississippi,” Helmer said in a press release. “Our student athletes went into the meet and took care of business. It was good to see the team transition into the outdoor season well, and we need to continue to grow and get better to reach our goals as a team.”
(03/28/12 1:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A prominent member of the men’s track team is returning for IU Coach Ron Helmer and the Hoosiers, as 2011 National Field Athlete of the Year high jumper Derek Drouin will be competing in the event for the first time this season at the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas.Drouin said he is more than ready to get back to business.“I’m excited,” Drouin said. “If you would have asked me a few months ago, I would have been more nervous than anything, but I feel like I’m ready.” Drouin competed in the javelin throw at last weekend’s Big Ten/SEC Challenge and said he did not feel pressured to perform well, but that will change this weekend with the Ontario native returning to his main event. “It’ll be a lot different,” Drouin said. “This past weekend was fun, and it was nice to put on the Indiana jersey again. I didn’t have any expectations. But this weekend I have put a lot more pressure on myself.”Sitting out the duration of the indoor season as a redshirt, Drouin said it will only be added motivation to achieve his desired results during the outdoor season. “It absolutely adds some extra motivation,” Drouin said. “I am ready to go. I want to do as much as I can to score points for the team just so that we can hopefully repeat outdoors. I’m really motivated for it.”Helmer said he is confident in Drouin and the rest of the group competing this weekend, which includes seniors sprinter Kind Butler, triple jumpers Rex Parker and Olu Olamigoke, sophomore high jumper Darius King and junior pole vaulter Kelsie Ahbe.“They know what they’re in for,” Helmer said. “In some cases it’s their first effort of the outdoor season. It’ll give them a chance to compete against the nation’s best.” Helmer said he does not necessarily have expectations for the redshirt junior. “I think the best thing to do is to not have expectations for him,” Helmer said. “Let it be whatever it is, get him through a day, come out of it healthy and create a beginning point. Then we’ll (go) forward from there. His mindset is to go in and jump eight feet, but he just needs to go in and have a solid day and be confident in subsequent meets.”Also competing outdoors for the first time this season is Ahbe, who will be rooming with former Hoosier Vera Neuenswander at the Texas Relays.While Ahbe did not live up to her own expectations during the indoor season, she is poised to have an outstanding outdoor season. “I’m really excited,” Ahbe said. “Indoor didn’t quite end the way I would have hoped, but I think it was a good thing because it has forced me to reset my goals and train even harder and think about what I need to do to get better.”
(03/26/12 1:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Different teams, regardless of sport or league, do not always respond well to change or transition. The IU track and field squads embraced it during the weekend. The Hoosiers took care of business at the Big Ten/SEC Challenge in Starkville, Miss., setting numerous facility records at the Carl Maddox Track on the campus of Mississippi State University.The Big Ten men defeated the SEC men 400.5 to 314.5, while the SEC women took down the Big Ten women with a score of 390 to 323.IU Coach Ron Helmer said he was pleased with how his athletes competed in their first outdoor meet of the season. “It wasn’t difficult because we’ve been enjoying the warm weather at home,” Helmer said. “The weather was great here in Mississippi, so there wasn’t a big difference. It was a great way to get started.” Helmer’s athletes had a great start to the outdoor season, especially in the men’s and women’s steeplechase. The Lady Hoosiers took first and second place in the event while the men swept first, second and third.Senior Breanne Ehrman wowed the crowd in Starkville by winning the steeplechase in a time of 10:21.38, which set a facility and meet record. The time was also a mere two seconds shy of Ehrman’s career best. Ehrman’s running mate in the event, redshirt freshman Samantha Ginther, placed second in a time of 10:30.69. The time ranks sixth in school history.Both Ehrman and Ginther’s times propelled them to second and third, respectively, on the Division I list for the current season.The Hoosier men were also taking part in the takedown of facility and meet records. Leading the way was senior De’Sean Turner, who claimed victory in the men’s steeplechase with a time of 8:52.58. The time set the meet and facility records in the event. Seniors Adrien Dannemiller and Andy Weatherford also set times faster than the old facility record, finishing second and third behind Turner in times of 8:52.61 and 9:03.17, respectively. Turner, Dannemiller and Weatherford currently rank first, second and third, respectively, on the Division I list in the steeplechase this season.Senior Danny Stockberger joined the record-breaking party, as well, winning the 800-meter race in a time of 1:51.00, which shattered the meet and facility records in the event. Helmer said he was pleased with Stockberger’s outing. “It was a great season-opening time,” Helmer said. “He had a great indoor season. He’s really just running confidently and loose.”Stockberger was joined by junior Zach Mayhew in the distance events, as Mayhew broke the meet and facility records in the 1,500 meters by clocking a time of 3:50.02. Mayhew broke the facility record by an astounding 5.88 seconds.In the field events, junior Emma Kimoto was victorious in the pole vault, launching to a height of 1.76 meters.Helmer said the weekend’s meet was a confidence booster going into the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, next weekend. “Things went really well,” Helmer said. “In some aspects, it was a friendly kick in the butt and a reminder that we need to get going.”
(03/23/12 2:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It is time to go outdoors. The weather across the Midwest has been more than accommodating for such a transition. The IU men’s and women’s track and field squads will take part in their first outdoor meet of the season when they travel to Starkville, Miss., this weekend for the Big Ten/SEC Challenge.IU Coach Ron Helmer said he is jubilant about the pleasant surprise from the weather because it has allowed his athletes a chance to get in some quality outdoor practices at the Billy Hayes Track before this weekend’s meet. “It is nice to get outside,” Helmer said. “It’s nice having the sunshine and warm weather. Our fieldhouse is great, but it is great to get outside and get going.” One would assume that a track and field coach’s philosophy would change during the transition to the outdoor season, as certain events are added and some are taken away, but Helmer said there are not any significant changes to his approach. There are a few tweaks, though. “Once you get to outdoor season, racing starts to take priority over training,” Helmer said. “That training is still important, but you do start focusing on quality races, knowing that the end is in sight.“You can delay resting, and you can delay sharpening only for so long. It’s kind of fun because you get to this time of year and you don’t have to go out and push people through long, difficult workouts.” Sticking to the basics is a critical coaching point for Helmer, regardless of whether his athletes are indoors at Gladstein Fieldhouse or outdoors at Billy Hayes Track. “In terms of our overall philosophy, we’re still running through the rings,” Helmer said. “We’re not just zeroing in on one event. We’re still going to enjoy racing.” Sophomore high jumper Darius King echoed that sentiment Monday afternoon. “I have to keep the same mentality that I had during the indoor season and bring it outdoors,” King said. “I have to keep listening to Coach Helmer, too. The transition to the outdoor season comes on really fast, so you really want to have a good start.”King and his teammates will have a chance to do so against the nation’s premiere track and field athletes from the Southeastern Conference. King, for one, said he is certainly looking forward to the challenge of competing. “Being able to keep up with the best of the best and do better than them in some ways, it’s reassuring because it reminds us that we’re really good,” King said. Helmer does not believe that his athletes will get caught up in competing against the country’s best athletes, such as University of Florida sprinter and football player Jeff Demps.“It has happened to some people in the past,” Helmer said. “We’ll get into some real trouble if we start to focus on other people and don’t just take care of ourselves and take care of what we need to do.”
(03/09/12 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After months of preparation, qualified Hoosier track and field athletes will be heading to Boise, Idaho, for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Qualified athletes from across the country will descend upon the Jackson Indoor Track for the two-day event. The Hoosiers have 10 athletes competing, all of whom are men. Headlining for Indiana will be senior distance runner Andrew Bayer, who will compete in the one-mile run, 3,000 meters and the distance medley relay.Also making the trip to Boise are senior Kind Butler in the 60 meters, 200 meters and 4x400 relay; senior Ben Hubers in the 3,000 meters; senior Andrew Poore in the 5,000 meters; sophomore Darius King in the high jump and senior Olu Olamigoke in the triple jump. Other participants include junior Chris Vaughn in the 4x400 relay and distance medley relay; seniors De’Sean Turner and Danny Stockberger in the distance medley relay; and freshman Nick Stoner and senior Ryan Hindes in the 4x400 relay. However, IU Coach Ron Helmer said he does not have a vested interest in any particular event. “You never know which one is going to have a chance,” he said. “I am excited about all of them. There is not one singular event that I will pay more attention to over others.” The men’s 4x400 ran a school-record time of 3:07.84 at the Alex Wilson Invitational this past weekend, and Helmer said that relay will be a vital part of IU's chances.“Having a 4x400 in at the end of a meet with a chance to get us a couple more points that might affect the team standings would be pretty cool,” Helmer said. “We’re going to have to beat four groups that have run faster than us in order to give ourselves a chance to score, so that by itself is a fairly large challenge.” The 4x400 group itself is quite diverse, but Helmer said he receives more satisfaction from the diversity of the entire group headed to Boise. The Hoosiers have a sprinter, two field event athletes and a plethora of distance runners representing Indiana at the NCAA Indoor Championships. “We have jumpers, sprinters and distance runners, and the only thing we’re missing is throwers,” Helmer said. “But all three of those areas are being represented and represented well. We’re not just a distance team, not just a jumps team, not just a sprint team. We’re fairly well-rounded.” Helmer’s squad would not be so well-rounded had it not been for the efforts of Assistant Coach Jeff Huntoon, who was recently named the Great Lakes Region Assistant Coach of the Year. Bayer earned Track Athlete of the Year, and Helmer earned Head Coach of the Year accolades. “There is no doubt that something special happened in here during the indoor season,” Huntoon said. “I’m not going to lie to you. It’s neat to get acknowledged for it.”Huntoon said he is focused on preparing his athletes for the NCAA Championships, though. He has been preaching normalcy, as the coaching staff is not placing added significance on the NCAA meet. “For Indiana’s philosophy on it, it’s just a normal meet,” Huntoon said. “We’re going to treat this wee like that, also.”
(03/02/12 3:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s and women’s track and field squads will be back in action this weekend, one week after participating in the Big Ten Indoor Championships. The two squads will be split, with selected athletes traveling to the Alex Wilson Invitational at Notre Dame while others participate in the Wisconsin NCAA Qualifier at Wisconsin. Both meets represent a final chance for individual athletes to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 9 and 10 in Boise, Idaho. After the men’s squad claimed the Big Ten Indoor title, IU Coach Ron Helmer said he believes the team’s mentality has not changed.“Of all the championship efforts that I’ve been a part of, that one was, maybe, as genuine as they come,” Helmer said. “It was the product of a group of athletes becoming a team over the course of the season and willing some things to happen because of the pride that they had developed in themselves as a group.“When you work hard, when you make those kinds of commitments and when you choose to go in that direction, you need to have good things happen. You need a reward somewhere so that people can look at it and say, ‘Wow, all this theoretical goody-goody stuff actually has a practical application, and it really, really does work.’”Helmer is certainly cognizant of the fact that the NCAA Indoor Championships are looming, as is senior distance runner Ryan Hindes. Hindes said having already qualified is a relief and will allow him to solely focus on his training leading up to the championships.“It’s one of those things that’s actually kind of nice, racing this well this year and knowing that you’re going to that meet and keep racing because we’re still in peak training mode right now,” Hindes said. “The volume comes down a little bit on our workouts. The speed goes up a tad on certain reps.“It’s nice to keep that rolling for two more weeks, whereas a lot of these guys will break back down and start re-training. We kind of ride down the mountain a little bit longer. It’s cool to be a part of that because your body feels really good right now.”Hindes will be part of a 4x400 relay squad that will compete for a qualifying time at the Alex Wilson Invitational this weekend. The group hasn’t had a chance to do that so far this season. “We think that group can qualify running fresh on a big track,” Helmer said. Helmer’s also choosing to send another group of athletes to the Alex Wilson Invitational. “We have a handful of other people who are going to go, not necessarily because we think they’re going to get a qualifier but because I think they have a chance to finish off their season with a really fast time,” he said.
(02/27/12 3:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s track and field squad capped its weekend with a team victory at the Big Ten Indoor Championships at Nebraska, while the women’s squad placed eighth.The men’s team’s victory was the first for the Hoosiers since 1992. Junior distance runner Andrew Bayer scored 26 points in the meet.Bayer finished first in the one-mile run with a time of 4:04.64. He also took top honors in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:01.38.Bayer became the first Hoosier to earn victories in two distance races in a single Big Ten meet since Bob Kennedy won the one-mile run, 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters in 1992. However, IU Coach Ron Helmer said credit does not simply belong to the athletes who contributed the most to the point total. “These kids really care about each other,” Helmer said. “It was not just a few people contributing. It was a true team effort. They really, really like each other right now.”Also contributing to that team effort was senior sprinter Kind Butler, who claimed victory in the 200 meters with a time of 20.92 seconds, .51 seconds ahead of second place. Butler also placed second in the 60 meters with a time of 6.67 seconds.Sophomore high jumper Darius King tacked 10 points on the board with a victory in the high jump, clearing 2.22 meters. That jump moved King into a tie for 11th in Division 1 this season, as well as third place in school history. The most dramatic sequence of the weekend was the men’s 4x400 relay. To claim a team victory, the relay squad had to add to the point total and did just that by finishing in fifth place, good for four points.The relay, made of junior Chris Vaughn, freshman Nick Stoner and seniors Ryan Hindes and Butler, recorded a season-best time of 3:10.18, which also ranks third in school history.Helmer said the team victory was the result of a process that has been in the works. “It’s great for our team to get a victory because we had a lot of people contribute to building a winning culture,” Helmer said. “All of the preparation they put in certainly has a grand payoff.” As for what the victory means for his team heading into the outdoor season, Helmer is not sure there is a definitive answer. “To achieve more success, they have to put the work in,” Helmer said. “It’s equally as important now as it will be once we move outdoors.” Helmer said while winning the Big Ten Indoor title might not translate into success during the outdoor season, he is optimistic about his team’s chances.“We should contend for an outdoor title,” Helmer said. “There are a lot of great teams in our conference. We’ll have a shot, and we’ll take the challenge when it arises.”
(02/24/12 4:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s and women’s track squads will be traveling to the University of Nebraska this weekend in their quest for victory in the Big Ten Indoor Championships.At last year’s Big Ten Indoor Championship, the men’s squad earned a second-place finish, while the women’s squad finished fifth.The men’s squad, headlined by its distance group, is seeking its first indoor title since 1992 and the 16th in school history. On the women’s side, the Lady Hoosiers will be pursuing their first indoor title since 2000 and the fourth in school history. This is the most important meet the Hoosiers will have participated in so far this season, but that won’t be a burden for sophomore high jumper Darius King.“A lot of people think we have a different mentality heading into Big Tens, but at the end of the day, it’s just about competing,” King said. “Do the best you can do on any given day. All you have to do is give it your best effort.” King said he is excited to prove himself in Big Ten competition after finishing third during 2011’s championship. “I’ve always been the smallest high jumper in every event, so going up against the bigger guys makes it really fun and makes me that much more enthusiastic,” King said. “It makes a difference.” Fellow high jumper junior Emma Kimoto also said she is ready to touch down in Nebraska and contribute to a team victory for the Hoosiers. Kimoto said the team has come a long way since last season and that she is excited to see the hard work pay off. “I feel like this year, going in, everyone is really excited, just because I’ve seen our team progress so much,” Kimoto said. “And I feel like we’re really ready for everyone to peak and do something really big at Big Tens.”Kimoto said IU deserves the Big Ten Championship. “It would mean so much to our team,” Kimoto said. “It would be so well deserved. We’ve worked really hard. It would be fantastic.”The athletes might have an advantage, as they chartered a plane to Lincoln instead of driving. They will share the flight with Purdue. IU Coach Ron Helmer doesn’t believe there will be any banter between the teams, though.“I can guarantee that it will be incredibly civil, relaxed and quiet,” Helmer said. “It won’t be a big deal.”Helmer is backing off of his athletes to help clear their minds. Helmer said he’s not preaching at this point, as he was earlier in the season. “I’m trying not to,” Helmer said. “I’m spending a lot of time making sure I’m not preaching and I’m not talking about anything new.”Helmer promotes a sense of routine and habit with his athletes, and that’s something he has been enforcing in the days leading up to the Big Ten Indoor Championships. “It’s more about just staying in the routine,” Helmer said.
(02/14/12 3:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Humility is not commonly found in high-profile athletes, but junior pole vaulter Kelsie Ahbe contradicts that notion. Ahbe recently broke the indoor school record in the pole vault, previously set by alumna Vera Neuenswander.Setting the record at a height of 4.21 meters, Ahbe said her relationship with Neuenswander was a significant factor in the process. “I think it’s cool that Vera was my training partner,” Ahbe said. “She’s a lot of the reason that I’ve been able to do a lot of the things I’ve done so far.”Neuenswander’s record stood at 4.20 meters. Neuenswander encouraged Ahbe to take her school record in the pole vault. “She actually said to me in the beginning of the season, ‘Kelsie, this is enough. It’s time for my school record to go down,’” Ahbe said. “She wanted me to have the record.”Ahbe said she has always been confident. As a teenager, she was convinced she would be a successful Big Ten athlete. “As a 17 year old, I would have said, ‘Yes, indeed, I will have the school record and Big Ten record,’” Ahbe said. “‘I’ll be a Big Ten champion.’”Now that she has captured the school record, Ahbe’s focus will not wane, but she said she does feel as if it’s her responsibility to play the role of leader.The Hoosiers have four freshman pole vaulters this season, so it is up to Ahbe to take them under her wing. “I think being a leader is definitely my role now,” Ahbe said. “I think I’m a leader on this team. It’s something that I embrace, and I think it’s fun.”Ahbe’s leadership traits are on display and pertain to doing the little things right. She was even spotted picking up trash after a meet a few weeks ago.“I think we owe that because of the opportunity we’ve been given,” Ahbe said. “There are a lot of people who would give anything to be a Division I athlete, and I feel really blessed that I’m here.”Regardless of what Ahbe accomplishes during the time she has remaining, she said she knows how blessed she is.IU Coach Ron Helmer said he is glad to have a person such as Ahbe on his squad. “She’s being exactly who we want her to be,” Helmer said. “She’s setting herself up, so that, going forward, as the athlete that she is, the person who she is won’t change.”
(02/13/12 1:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s and women’s track squads took another step in preparation for the Big Ten Indoor Championships by splitting up for two meets during the weekend.Sprinters and field event athletes traveled to the SPIRE NCAA DI Invitational in Geneva, Ohio, while the distance runners remained in Bloomington for the Hoosier Hills Invitational. Highlighting the weekend for the Hoosiers was the men’s distance medley relay, which set the world’s fifth-fastest indoor time ever. Seniors De’Sean Turner and Daniel Stockberger and juniors Chris Vaughn and Andrew Bayer combined for first in the event with a time of 9:29.12.Vaughn said despite having accomplished such a feat, the quartet didn’t run its best race.“I was talking to De’Sean after the race, and he said, ‘I definitely could have run two or three seconds faster,’ so I think there’s a lot of room for improvement,” Vaughn said. “I think we can, ultimately, do something really big.”Also setting a notable mark for the Hoosiers’ distance squad was senior Ben Hubers. The Marietta, Ga., native earned a first-place finish in the 3,000 meters, crossing the finish line at 7:52.02. The time automatically qualified Hubers for the NCAA Indoor Championships.Hubers said it felt relieving to have qualified at this meet because he’ll have an extra week of rest before the Big Ten Indoor Championships on Feb. 24 and 25.“I think it’s pretty important that I have a full week of rest and an opportunity to get some really good training in,” Hubers said. “I wouldn’t be fresh for Big Tens if I didn’t have that week of rest. It was critical, and I’m just glad I got it done.”Having Bayer as the pace-setter in the 3,000 meters was an important factor in Hubers’ automatic qualifying time, Hubers said.“Andy was supposed to go through in 4:14, which he did exactly,” Hubers said. “Having Andy in there as the rabbit was absolutely critical.”At the SPIRE NCAA DI meet, senior sprinter Kind Butler was victorious in the 200 meters, posting a time of 20.85 seconds, which is a meet record. The mark also places Butler second in Division I in the event this season.Butler also took first in the 60 meters with a time of 6.68 seconds, which is good for tops in the Big Ten Conference in the event this season.Freshman Nick Stoner finished ninth in the 60 meters with a time 6.88 seconds, which moves him into ninth all-time in school history in the event.Also racking up some astounding figures was senior Ryan Hindes, who finished seventh in the 800 meters with a time of 1:49.59. The time ties Hindes for second all-time in school history in the event.IU Coach Ron Helmer said he was pleased with the athletes, but that his team is on a mission. “We think there’s more there,” Helmer said. “We have the responsibility of reaching our potential, and that’s our challenge.”
(02/10/12 4:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s and women’s track teams will be sending athletes to two meets this weekend, with the Hoosier Hills taking place on the Bloomington campus and the SPIRE NCAA DI meet happening in Geneva, Ohio. After the team had its first away meet last weekend at the Meyo Invitational at the University of Notre Dame, IU Coach Ron Helmer said he wants to keep those athletes traveling to Ohio focused during the second consecutive away meet. “You want to feel like you accomplished something other than having taken a trip,” Helmer said. “You know if you’ve performed well relative to what you’ve done in the past.”After racking up 20 personal records at the Meyo Invitational, the athletes will seek to accomplish a similar, or better, mark this weekend. “We want people to compete, and when you focus on competing, those personal records take care of themselves,” Helmer said.One of the athletes seeking to continue the trend is senior Olu Olamigoke, who soared to a personal record of 15.72 meters in the triple jump last weekend.“If someone pops off a big jump, I want to let that fire me up,” Olamigoke said. “At the same (time), I want to be relaxed until I step out on the runway, and then I let it out.”Senior distance runner De’Sean Turner, who passed Jim Spivey for third in school history in the 800 meters last weekend, will be running in the distance medley relay this weekend.Turner said his preparation and mindset do not change for the distance medley relay.“Usually, it’s the same mindset I carry going into any event,” Turner said. “It’s a little different this upcoming weekend because I’m not sure if we’ll have great competition.”Joining Turner in the relay will be junior distance runner Andrew Bayer, this week’s Big Ten Conference Track Athlete of the Week.On the women’s side, junior pole vaulter Kelsie Ahbe said she is more than confident in her abilities following a leg injury that kept her out of the season’s first meets.Ahbe set the school record in the pole vault last week, launching herself over the bar at 4.21 meters.“It’s all about being confident in yourself,” Ahbe said. “I definitely think there’s more to come from me. I’m really excited about the rest of the season.” Despite having separate meets this weekend, Helmer said he hasn’t changed preparation techniques. “There’s a purpose to everything we do,” Helmer said. “There’s a reason we’re sending people to Ohio, and there’s a reason people are staying here. It’s just a matter of trying to get the most out of each athlete in their individual events.”
(02/06/12 3:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The men’s and women’s track and field squads combined to set 20 personal records at the Meyo Invitational at the University of Notre Dame this weekend.The number of records is the highest total the Hoosiers have achieved in a single meet this season. IU Coach Ron Helmer said he was thrilled with the performances of his athletes.“I was very pleased with the performances we got this weekend,” Helmer said. “We should be satisfied with the way this weekend played out.”Leading the way for the men was junior distance runner Andrew Bayer, who placed second in the 3,000 meters in a time of 7:50.23. That time automatically qualified Bayer for the NCAA Indoor Tournament, which takes place March 9 and 10 in Boise, Idaho. Pole vaulter Kelsie Ahbe also had success for the Hoosiers. The junior from Uniontown, Ohio, set the school record in the pole vault, launching to a height of 4.21 meters. The mark also earned her a first place finish in the event. Individual performances such as those from Bayer and Ahbe gave some support to the team, Helmer said. While having his team set a number of personal records shouldn’t come as a surprise, Helmer said doing so at this particular meet was. “In the past, this was a tough weekend,” Helmer said. “Emotionally, it’s a bit difficult to get excited.”That wasn’t the case for senior distance runner De’Sean Turner, who finished fourth in the 800 meters with a time of 1:49.73. The mark allowed Turner to surpass Jim Spivey for third place in school history in the event.In the men’s field events, sophomore high jumper Darius King earned a third-place finish in the high jump by clearing 2.13 meters. The mark also pushed King into seventh place in the Big Ten Conference in the event this season.In the triple jump, senior Olu Olamigoke took first place with a personal record of 15.72 meters. With the Meyo Invitational being the first road meet of the season, Helmer said he was a bit concerned about the attitude of his team, but that he’s more than happy with his squads at the current moment. “It’s what I’m enjoying the most right now,” Helmer said. “It’s not always fun or easy, but we just went out there and competed hard.”
(02/03/12 4:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This weekend, the IU men’s and women’s track and field squads will be participating in the Meyo Invitational at the Loftus Center at Notre Dame in South Bend.The Meyo Invitational will be the first away meet for the Hoosiers, who have had each of the season’s first five meets at home, with the Indiana Relays capping the home series this past weekend. The meet will feature a distance medley relay, which junior middle distance runner Ruth Christopher will be taking part in.Christopher will be competing in the 800-meter segment of the relay, which features a 400-, 800- and a 1600-meter leg. “We’re still doing a lot of training and trying to build a lot of strength,” Christopher said. “I feel like we’re in a good place, and we just have to continue with the training that we’ve been doing so that we can give ourselves a chance to perform well.”Christopher said the elite competition at a meet such as the Meyo Invitational only adds to the motivation she and her teammates use to elevate their performances. “It’s definitely a motivating factor, just being able to have people who can compete well and that they are able to compete at a high level,” Christopher said. “They’re able to push us to perform better. We know what’s out there and where we need to be, so it’s definitely an indication of where we are in our training and what we need to do to get better.” Also competing in the distance medley relay, specifically the 400 meters, will be junior Aireonna Bailey. “I’m excited to run the distance medley relay because I feel like we can put up a good time and qualify for nationals,” Bailey said. “The competition will play a major role because I’m such a competitor, so I feel like I run a lot faster when I have somebody to run against.” On the men’s side, senior distance runner De’Sean Turner will be competing in the 800 meters during the weekend after posting a time of 4:00.13 in the one-mile run at this past weekend’s Indiana Relays. Turner will have a chance to break the school record in the 800 meters, and he said the opportunity has been on his mind for quite some time. “I got pretty close three years ago at this same meet, so it has been on my mind since then,” Turner said. “It’s a record that has been around for quite a few years. Really, we’re just trying to make our 800 program more respectable.”
(01/31/12 3:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior middle distance runner Ryan Hindes ended his high-school track-and-field career without a single scholarship offer from a Division I school.Despite other coaches overlooking him, Hindes, who is in his final season with the Hoosiers, has established himself as one of the best middle distance runners in the Big Ten Conference this season, as shown by his winning time of 1:18.75 in the 600 meter invitational during this past weekend’s Indiana Relays. The time was .05 seconds shy of the school record in the event. However, it took Hindes three full seasons of action to arrive to where he currently is. “It was a slow, developing process,” Hindes said. “Right after the first indoor meet of my sophomore year, I went to Coach (Jeff) Huntoon and told him that I was no longer going to train as a multi-event athlete. I was going to switch over full-time with Coach (Ron) Helmer and the quarter-miler group. That’s kind of when my journey started to begin.” Hindes said the fact that he wasn’t heavily recruited during high school has been a motivating factor in his progression to becoming one of the premier athletes on the team. “It’s impossible to say that wasn’t something that was always driving me,” Hindes said. “I felt like I came in with a lot to prove, and with good reason. When you’re a walk-on on a team, you need to stick out.” In fact, the only schools that reached out to Hindes during his four years at Glenbrook South High School were two Division III institutions located in Illinois and Wisconsin. Along with the hours of training and the vast amounts of dedication, Hindes said he wouldn’t be in his current position without the support of his father.“I talk to my father almost every day,” he said. “He and I are very, very close, and we have a great relationship. I attribute a lot of who I am as an athlete to his coaching.“Once I got to high school, he was just very encouraging. He wasn’t one of those fathers who needed to live vicariously through his kids. He was always supportive and encouraging of me and was always there at my meets cheering me on.” Hindes said he is certainly a “chip off the old block” because he carries himself with the same mental toughness his father instilled in him from a young age. “Something that my dad always preached to me was to have a strong mental head,” Hindes said. “So much of running is up in your head, and it’s something that has always stuck with me. I think the mental attitude my father taught me is part of who I am and has ultimately shaped the athlete I have become.”Hindes said mental toughness isn’t going to only pay off on the track for the remainder of his current season, though. He said it’s also going to pay dividends in his future career as an entrepreneur. Hindes said what he has learned as a track and field athlete during his four years will also be valuable to him as he moves forward in life.“You learn a sense of commitment, a sense of responsibility, a sense of routine and, most importantly, an unbelievable sense of competition,” Hindes said. “I don’t think you can be in this sport if you don’t love competition or if you don’t love winning.”
(01/30/12 4:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The men’s and women’s track squads capped a series of four consecutive home meets this past weekend with the Indiana Relays at Gladstein Fieldhouse.Leading the way for the men’s team was junior distance runner Andrew Bayer, who blazed through the one mile at a clip of 3:58.23. That mark earned Bayer the title of fastest collegiate and United States mile runner so far this season.“I was happy with my race overall,” Bayer said. “I wish I would have run a bit faster. I was a little under a half second off my personal record, which was fine.”Despite setting such a sterling mark in the mile, Bayer said the best is yet to come.“I felt good about the race overall, but I think there’s a lot left in the tank,” Bayer said. “I can race a lot faster as the season goes on.”Bayer wasn’t the only Hoosier capturing the attention of those in attendance at Gladstein Fieldhouse during the weekend.Senior middle distance runner Ryan Hindes finished the 600 meters in a time of 1:18.75, which is .05 seconds away from the IU record. Hindes’ time also places him fifth in the Big Ten Conference for the 600 meters.“I am thrilled,” Hindes said. “It was great crossing the line and seeing my time, which was faster than expected. To drop down to 1:18 was great. It gives me a ton of confidence going into everything.”Also assisting the cause were seniors De’Sean Turner and Ben Hubers, who finished just behind Bayer in the mile with times of 4:00.13 and 4:00.78, respectively.In the sprints, senior Kind Butler finished first in the 60 meters with a time of 6.74, while freshman Nick Stoner took tenth place with a time of 6.92.On the women’s side, the Hoosiers grabbed a number of victories in the field events, with senior thrower Monique Riddick shining in the shot put, recording a mark of 16.21 meters.“I was really ecstatic and pretty happy with my performance. I finally got that monkey off my back,” Riddick said. “It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve thrown a good meet. I went through a slump, but my coaches helped push me through it.”While Riddick was busy with the shot put, junior Kelsie Ahbe was easing back into the pole vault, as the meet was only her second of the season. She placed third with a height of 4.10 meters.“I think today was a positive day,” Ahbe said. “It was a good step forward. I feel like I can build off my performance today, and it’s just doing the little things every day.” Ahbe and her fellow Hoosiers will be in action again next weekend at the Meyo Invitational at the University of Notre Dame, the team’s first away meet of the season.
(01/26/12 3:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Beginning at 3 p.m. Friday, the Indiana men’s and women’s track and field squads will take part in the Indiana Relays at Gladstein Fieldhouse.The two-day affair is the fifth consecutive meet the program has played host to and will feature athletes from Michigan State and Cincinnati, among others. IU Coach Ron Helmer said the meet will feature the stiffest competition the Hoosiers have seen thus far in the young season. “We’re focusing on preparing to meet the challenge of some even better competition, I think, this weekend, but doing so with the attitude that we’re just going to go out and compete and try to beat the people who are here,” Helmer said.The Indiana Relays will provide an opportunity for each of his squads to make some significant strides, Helmer said“We’ll still set a couple races up, and we’ll get them going a little bit,” Helmer said. “That’ll give us a chance to run some good times and let the emotion of that process take us to where we need to go.”Helping that process will be junior Andy Bayer, who was named this week’s Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week.Bayer is the second Hoosier track athlete to receive the honor this season, as sophomore Robbie Nierman received the award following the Indiana Open about two weeks ago.Another athlete to keep an eye on is junior pole vaulter Kelsie Ahbe, who competed for the first time this season in last weekend’s Gladstein Invitational. She placed second in the pole vault, recording a mark of 3.87 meters. Ahbe had been out of action for the two weeks preceding the Gladstein Invitational with a leg injury, but she said she is back to being completely healthy.“One of the positive things about last week’s meet was that my leg felt good,” Ahbe said. “I feel healthy and strong. I’m 100 percent healthy, and I feel great.”Because Ahbe only has one meet under her belt this season, she isn’t setting any goals heading into the Indiana Relays this weekend.“I just want to compete,” Ahbe said. “That’s how I always perform best, is just going out there and competing and trying to beat people.”On the men’s side, senior distance runner Ryan Hindes will be looking to build off his performance from last weekend, when he won his heat during his first collegiate 800 meter dash.Hindes said the road to improvement is a steady process that takes time to fall into place.“It’s one of those week-by-week kinds of things,” Hindes said. “I just want my times to keep coming down each week. Week by week you’re starting to freshen up, even if you don’t realize it.”