Men’s cross-country seeks to defend Big Ten Title, women look to grow
At the start of the 2013 Big Ten Championship race, no one was looking at the IU men’s cross-country team.
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At the start of the 2013 Big Ten Championship race, no one was looking at the IU men’s cross-country team.
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____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>LOWELL, Mass. — Six days after being drafted by the Boston Red Sox, IU first baseman Sam Travis took his first steps on the Green Monster. Peering up at 13 American League Pennants, past Pesky Pole and out into the grand stands, Travis got his first taste of the “show,” and the road it would take to get there. On Friday night, he began paving that road, making his home debut with the Red Sox Class A affiliate — the Lowell Spinners.It was a rough night for the former Hoosier standout, going 0-for-4 at the plate.“There’s so much history behind this ballpark,” he said of Fenway Park. “I’m just glad to be a part of it.”A second-round draft pick, 67th pick overall, in the MLB draft, Travis said he has embraced his new role in Bean Town with relative ease. The 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year made his departure from Bloomington official this past Monday, signing a contract that is reportedly worth $846,000. “It took some getting used to, but now that I finally signed and I’m settling in, I’m starting to get the swing of things,” he said. “I’m making the adjustment pretty well I think.”No stranger to the state of Massachusetts, Travis participated in the Cape Cod Baseball League after earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors at IU.The team he was recruited to play for also went by the Red Sox moniker, the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.“It’s good to be back,” Travis said of the Massachusetts area. “I guess it was meant to be.”Setting aside the familiar, Travis said the biggest adjustment is simply resisting the urge to hit the snooze button.“You have to come to the ballpark a lot earlier here than you do in college, but that’s about it,” he said. “It’s just playing baseball and having fun, and that’s how you have to approach the game.”One thing is certain: the move to the pros has done little to deter Travis’ resolve. Now more than ever, he said he feels there is something to prove.“I definitely always have a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “I’m not really the tallest, ideal first baseman. I’m a right-handed hitter and guys usually like lefties. “But I’ve been proving people wrong my whole life.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It happened the way it was supposed to.In her final home meet for IU track and field, senior Kelsie Ahbe delivered on her promise. She put together a career-best performance, vaulting 4.35 meters in her final competition at Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex.“Today was special because it was my last home meet,” Ahbe said. “I’ve never put together a good meet at home. Over the span of five years — never. So it was a challenge, and I was excited to have it happen today.” Inching closer to the school record set by her mentor Vera Schmitz, Ahbe soared past the competitors at the Billy Hayes Invitational with the fifth-best vault in the NCAA.En route to a first place finish, Ahbe added an additional three centimeters to her personal best clearance, now just one centimeter away from tying Schmitz’s record. But rather than opting for the 4.37 meter bar late in the competition, Ahbe set her sights on higher heights. “I just think that I have even more than that in the tank,” she said. “I might as well see a higher bar now, so that when it really matter at nationals, I’m ready to go.”Junior Drew Volz also achieved a lifetime best in the men’s pole vault. In the final event of the evening, the entire IU team gathered in the stands to cheer Volz on.With his teammates’ support, Volz sky-rocketed to the height of 5.30 meters — a tie for eighth-best in school history. Sophomore Sydney Clute rounded out the triad of top pole vault performances, clearing 4.15 meters for a personal-best mark. “(The pole-vaulters) have been practicing really well,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said. “And when you practice well, you hope that you can come out here and do really good things. And they’re doing it.”Earlier in the day, freshman Ari Nelson won the long jump with a personal best 6.19 meters, the fourth-best mark in the Big Ten this season. Saturday’s Billy Hayes Invitational contributed to a big weekend for track and field, one that began Friday with the inaugural meet of American Track League series.In the 1,500-meter run, junior Rorey Hunter made a name for himself, defeating multiple professional athletes — including Australian record-holder, Ryan Gregson.Hunter out-sprinted Gregson, Indiana Elite’s Danny Stockberegr and Austin Track Company’s Duncan Phillips down the stretch to win the race in three minutes and 40.36 seconds.“I was just trying to not get last,” Hunter said. “I just jumped on the back of the pack and rolled with it. I got a sniff in the last lap and just kicked as hard as I could. It paid off.”Hunter’s time is the second-fastest in the NCAA this season. Seeing Hunter perform at such a high level isn’t surprising, Helmer said. Having his hard work finally payoff, as a coach, is gratifying.“There are a lot of great people who never develop the ability to be a great finisher and Rorey’s got it,” Helmer said. “That’s a pretty comforting tool to have in your tool box when it’s time to go racing.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After weekends spent on the road and weeks of back-and-forth travel, IU Track and Field will compete this Saturday in its first and only home meet of the outdoor season. The team will play host to the Billy Hayes Invitational at Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex, a place that once felt mundane for redshirt sophomore Owen Skeete, but now feels like home.“I actually kind of hated our track at first because we used to have meets here non-stop,” he said. “This is the first season we didn’t have a meet here until now, so it feels great to be on this track.”No matter what event he competes in this Saturday, Skeete said he’s running for a regional qualifying mark. Skeete is coming off a successful performance in the mile, where he anchored the 4-by-mile relay to a surprising eighth-place finish in the Penn Relay Championships last Saturday. He carried the remaining quartet of freshman Jason Crist, junior Nolan Fife and freshman Matt Schwartzer across the line by running a personal-record relay split. The time resulted in a total of 16 minutes and 27.55 seconds for the relay. “We always have a doubter, or someone who speculates that we’re not going to place better than second-to-last,” Skeete said. “It feels good to get out there and prove some people wrong and show that our training does pay off.”Freshman Amanda Behnke also beat expectations and ran her first ever 10,000 meter run at the Penn Relays. In her 10k debut, she captured the eighth-fastest time in program history in 34 minutes and 33.69 seconds. Despite never wanting to run a 10k, Behnke said she was nonetheless excited when she lined up at the starting line at Franklin Field last Thursday.That excitement may very well have been foresight, as Behnke now anticipates another 10k at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships in her future. “After being pretty successful in the 5k and 10k so far, I’ve been figuring out that I’m more of a distance runner,” she said. “I’ll run one at Big Tens and hopefully at regionals. It seems that’s what I’m best at.”This weekend, Behnke said she will regain her strength as she watches her teammates discover newfound success on the track. Competing as independents this Saturday, several redshirt athletes will have the opportunity to test their training.IU Coach Ron Helmer said the meet will be a good indication of how much his young program has grown. “During indoors, we get to see (redshirt athletes) compete a lot, but because of the outdoor schedule this season, we haven’t had that opportunity,” Delmer said. “We’ll get everybody lined up this weekend. It’ll be fun to see them run too.”Redshirt athletes won’t be the only familiar faces competing at Billy Hayes Track this weekend. IU will welcome back several star-studded track and field alums as part of the American Track League series inaugural meet, which begins on Friday. The professional circuit also includes Olympic silver medalist Lashine Demus, Olympic bronze medalist DeeDee Trotter and 2012 Summer Olympian and most recently 2014 Winter Olympian Lolo Jones. The American Track meet will gather a total of four Olympic medals, eight World Championship and 16 USA Championship titles to compete at the Robert C. Haugh Complex. Helmer said the meet will provide yet another chance for his athletes to take in top-notch competition. “We see a lot of big-time track and field,” he said. “But certainly to be around the level of athlete and watch how they perform is always a great learning experience.”A handful of IU athletes will also have the opportunity to race alongside world-class competition. Junior Rorey Hunter will run in the 1500 meter race in addition to three or four Hoosiers who will compete in the steeple chase Friday evening.“(Saucony Runner) Molly Beckwith always runs with us, and (All-American) Andy Bayer is back,” Behnke said. “Just knowing all the big-name athletes that are going to be here, it’s going to be really cool to see that happening.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU senior Kelsie Ahbe prepares to vault 4.20 meters. She doesn’t know if this height will be enough to claim the Big Ten Indoor Title. She makes her approach, picking up speed as she glides down the runway, and she plants her pole into the ground.The pole curves beneath her. She pulls her feet level with her head for just a moment and drives her body into the air.Teetering on the brink between silence and cheers, the crowd at the SPIRE facility in Geneva, Ohio, watches the competition at the Big Ten Women’s Pole-vault Championship.It’s the last year Ahbe will vault before these fans and the last chance to earn the Big Ten title that has eluded her since her freshman year.She hangs there for a moment, caught between the bar and a dream to become Big Ten Champion. This moment at the 2014 Big Ten Indoor Championships is what Ahbe has strived for — through the loss of a mentor, a lost season and the crises of confidence and injury.It is a pursuit that has taken five years, countless vaults and many struggles. ***One year ago, Ahbe was practicing alone. Hundreds of miles away from the roaring crowds of Geneva, Ohio, she dashed up the silent runway inside IU’s Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse — vaulting rep after rep after rep. It was all part of the plan. Ahbe would redshirt her senior year so she could compete in top form as a fifth-year graduate student. The training was rigorous, augmented by the lack of competition. At times, Ahbe said she had little motivation to keep moving forward. “I think you kind of lose sight of what your goals are when you don’t have scheduled meets in front of you,” she said. “I wasn’t jumping well. I was struggling even on the days I was jumping with my coach.”But Ahbe persevered. She entered the summer with a newfound energy and focused on her training.“I’ve never seen anyone work so hard in conditioning workouts,” sophomore teammate Sydney Clute said. “She beat half the boys, and they didn’t even care because it’s Kelsie.”Ahbe seemed poised to overcome her latest setback, one of a series of struggles that began her junior year of high school. But during one summer trail run, her plans would take a tumble. ***Growing up in Uniontown, Ohio, Ahbe was a year-round athlete. She competed in soccer, gymnastics, swimming and track and field — but it wasn’t until her sophomore year at Green High School that she would first attempt a vault. It didn’t take her long to catch on. That year, Ahbe was crowned the 2007 Ohio State Champion in the women’s pole vault. The following year, when she was in pursuit of back-to-back championships, Ahbe met her first challenge.As a junior in high school, her appendix ruptured — confining her to bed rest for six weeks. The 16-year-old Ahbe feared she would never compete again. Now she admits that line of thinking was overly dramatic. “I had a soccer season coming up, and I thought it was the end of the world that I wasn’t going to be able to train with the team,” she said. “But it’s just another thing you work through, and I came back from it fine.”She rebounded to championship form — repeating as the Ohio State Champion in 2008. It was a small lesson for Ahbe, but foreshadowing of the resilience she would demonstrate time and time again. Her performance at the 2008 State Championship sparked the interest of several scouts, including IU Assistant Coach Jake Wiseman.“I saw that she was a competitor,” he said. “That’s always been her greatest attribute.”In her freshman year at IU, Ahbe flourished under teammate and mentor Vera Neuenswander — now known as Vera Schmitz. Schmitz, at that time a senior, helped Ahbe from afar as she trained through a redshirt season — the same Ahbe would go on to do her senior year.“Before the word ‘selfie’ meant what it does today, I used to call Kelsie ‘Selfie,’ because she was my little shadow,” Schmitz said. “We did everything the same.”Under the guidance of Wiseman and Schmitz, Ahbe began toppling records, becoming the third woman in IU track and field’s 190-year history to jump over 13 feet. She finished second at the Outdoor Big Ten Championships and 14th at the national meet, unexpectedly working her way onto the 2010 IAAF Junior World Championship team.“Basically, I just followed (Schmitz), and I ended up jumping high,” Ahbe said. “I had no idea what was going on.”From the moment Ahbe began her sophomore season, which was also her mentor Schmitz’s fifth and final season, she and Schmitz had a plan to capture first and second in the Big Ten Championship meet.The focus remained on their team dynamic, aiming to go at the title together, not as individuals.Challenging each other by clearing bar after bar, the duo’s plan played out flawlessly. Schmitz won gold and pushed the younger Ahbe to win silver at the 2011 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. The silver-medal performance was a career-best for Ahbe — her first time over 14 feet. At the NCAA Championship meet, Schmitz and Ahbe continued to shine, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively.They were the only two women from the same school to receive All-American honors in the pole vault. “Pole vault is an interesting sport because it’s really easy to pit yourselves against each other,” Schmitz said. “We had a really unique camaraderie.”After Schmitz graduated, Ahbe lost her teammate and her mentor, but also her best friend. Struggling with that transition throughout her junior year, Ahbe was unable to return to her personal-best height, failing to qualify for the NCAA meet for her first time at IU. “For the longest time, Vera led me,” Ahbe said. “Then all of the sudden, I was the leader, and it was hard for me to figure out at first.”Following her junior season, Ahbe would have plenty of time to mull over her performance. In order to comply with the NCAA’s four years of eligibility rule, Ahbe would have to redshirt her senior season so she could compete as a fifth-year nursing student. She wouldn’t vault competitively for the next 18 months. ***When Ahbe entered her fifth and final season at IU, she harbored a goal. Every day, she pictured herself as the Big Ten Champion, envisioning herself atop the podium.But that goal would not come easily. After a summer training run through the woods, Ahbe encountered yet another obstacle. She twisted her ankle, causing a stress fracture in her navicular bone. Still, she refused to reevaluate. “That Big Ten Championship was always in the back of my mind,” she said. Forced to wear a boot and miss practice for four additional months, Ahbe threw herself into cross-training, swimming and biking.Come January, she had a full bill of health but only three months to sharpen her skills before the Big Ten Indoor Championships in March. Though Ahbe said she lacked the confidence at times, she relied on the unwavering endorsement of Coach Wiseman.“For her to win a Big Ten Championship, I don’t think she cared if she jumped 10 feet or 20 feet — whatever it took to win,” Wiseman said. Combining that belief, a strong chemistry with sophomore teammates Sophie Gutmermuth and Sydney Clute and her Christian faith, Ahbe devised a goal that would change the face of the Big Ten Indoor Championships altogether.She told the girls they could sweep the event — claiming spots one through three — and she set them on a path to do it.***Back at the 2014 Big Ten Indoor Championships, Ahbe hangs in the air, her feet stretching over the 4.20 meter bar. Her body follows, slipping over the barrier, falling gracefully onto the mat. She glances at the scoreboard and is satisfied — she has cleared the height. All she can do now is await the performance of her competitors.One hour later, her satisfaction has transformed into triumph — Ahbe has officially been named the Big Ten Indoor Champion in women’s pole vault.Finally, Ahbe stands on the podium. She sees her family in the stands and feels fulfilled — but not because she has won a Big Ten Title.Ahbe said she felt most satisfied because IU women’s pole vault had won as a unit. The women went on to capture first, second and fourth — a collective effort, like Schmitz and Ahbe in 2012. “That day, it felt like we turned pole vault into a team event,” Clute said. “It felt like we did it together.”The runway doesn’t stop there for Ahbe. She has already eclipsed her personal-best mark, defeating Schmitz’s stadium record at Cardinal Park with a vault of 4.32 meters three weeks ago. That clearance is the second-best in the history of IU track and field. Second to none other than Vera Schmitz.“If anyone’s going to beat my records, I would love for it to be Kelsie,” Schmitz said. “She just kept trusting that if she stuck to the plan, then things would come back around for her. A big part of it was just never losing hope.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The 120th running of the Penn Relay Carnival in Philadelphia welcomed the IU track and field team this weekend to join in one of the most historic and prestigious track and field meets worldwide.The Hoosiers placed first in two events at the highest-attended meet in the United States, with crowds of more than 20,000 the first day of competition. Thursday’s first-place finishes included the ninth-best discus throw in IU history by freshman Nakel McClinton. “Nakel McClinton had a really good discus competition,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said. “It’s always challenging performing there. It’s all about managing the chaos of the meet.”Sophomore Sydney Clute took the other top prize for the Hoosiers, winning the college pole vault with a season best vault of 4.08 meters. The clearance was also the fifth-best in program history.The championship section of the pole vault was taken by senior Kelsie Ahbe, who finished second with a mark of 4.30 meters. Junior Drew Volz and sophomore Robert Lewis closed out strong performances in the event, finishing fifth in the men’s championship pole vault and third in the men’s college pole vault, respectively.“It’s important that you have good things happen,” Helmer said. “That way, people can use the momentum created by those good things to propel them forward.”Continuing that line of success, the Hoosiers were spurred on by top-10 performances in the men’s 4x800, 4xmile and distance medley relays. The relays kicked off Friday with junior Rorey Hunter, who anchored the third-place distance medley at the NCAA Indoor Championships to a fifth-place finish at the Penn Relays.Hunter crossed the finish line at nine minutes and 34.60 seconds for the sixth-best relay in school history, clocking 4:01.15 in the mile.Relay counterpart Tre’tez Kinnaird also posted quick splits, running sub-one minute and 49 seconds in the 800 meter in both the distance medley relay and the 4x800. The freshman and junior continue to be two of the premier athletes on the IU Track and Field team, Helmer said.“When everything else is not going quite like you want it to, you can fix every problem you have by just going out and competing hard,” Helmer said. “That’s what those guys have learned how to do.”Hunter and Kinnaird reunited on the men’s 4x800 relay Saturday, leading teammates Jordan Gornall and Robby Nierman to an eighth-place finish in the championship section.Their performance was complemented by another eighth-place finish in the 4xmile, run by freshman Jason Crist, junior Nolan Fife, freshman Matt Schwartzer and sophomore Owen Skeete. “Those four guys all went out and ran extremely well,” Helmer said. “I thought they competed hard, considering we didn’t have two of our best milers on that relay.”Despite a thread of talented performances across three days competing at Franklin Field, Helmer said the team never quite found its optimal rhythm.“There were enough good things for us to feel good about what we did, but I think in a lot of spots we’re better than what we performed,” he said. “We’re used to coming to the big stage and having people step up, and we just didn’t do that as consistently as I would’ve hoped.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Philadelphia, a city steeped in track and field tradition, is the destination this Thursday through Saturday for IU track and field.The team is set to compete at the 120th running of the historic Penn Relays, the highest-attended track and field meet in the United States.With attendance topping more than 110,000 for three consecutive years, the stands will be packed with fans, cheers and electricity — super-charging the atmosphere surrounding Franklin Field.The scene could not be more fitting for the Hoosiers, as the men’s 4x800 meter relay strives to rewrite history this Saturday in front of an estimated crowd of 48,000. “They really get into it, which makes it an exciting environment,” senior Robby Nierman said. “It gives you a lot of extra energy when you’re out there running.”Nierman will lead off the 4x800 relay, where he and All-Americans Tre’tez Kinnaird, Rorey Hunter and Jordan Gornall will chase the school record of seven minutes and 17.8 seconds, set at the Penn Relays in 1987.The trio of All-Americans has been on a roll as of late, headlined by Kinnaird’s sub one minute and 48 second time in the 800 — the first Hoosier to clock under 1:48.00 in the event since Keith Allen in 1988. Hunter’s success has been in his consistency, winning an event in every meet he has run this outdoor season. He earned top marks in the mile last week, setting the sixth-fastest time in program history at four minutes and .97 seconds. “Rorey and Tre’tez are probably the hottest runners we have right now,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said. “Since I’ve been here, we haven’t run a quality 4x8, and I think they will this weekend. It’s what great athletes do.”Kinnaird, Hunter and Gornall will also participate in the men’s distance medley relay. The national qualifying team — including senior Derrick Morgan — will reunite on the track for the first time since placing third at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Freshman Nakel McClinton is on her way to making a national campaign. After achieving the second-best mark in the women’s hammer throw last weekend, she’ll compete at the Penn Relay Carnival in hopes of achieving another personal best.“I’ve watched this meet on TV before, and to actually go there is going to be surreal,” she said. “I’m very excited just to be there and compete, and give it all I’ve got.”Other top competitors for the Hoosiers include seniors Kelsie Ahbe and Kyla Buckley. Ahbe holds the fifth-best vault in the NCAA at 4.32 meters, while Buckley holds fifth-best shot-put throw at 17.08 meters.The Hoosiers will compete in a field of more than 22,000 athletes, ranging from high school, all the way to the professional level. Ahbe, Buckley, McClinton and the relays will all seek spots on IU’s decorated list of 13 Penn Relays champions, including Olympic bronze medalist Derek Drouin last year. Helmer said the popularity and prestige of the Penn Relays can work in both helpful and harmful ways of showcasing a program’s talent. “It’s a mixed bag,” he said. “If you perform well, then you showcase your program in front of 50 or 60,000 people. If you don’t run well, then you also show people you’re not as good as what they’re looking for. I love the challenge of it.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>All-American athletes led the way for IU track and field as the team competed Saturday at the Kentucky Relays.Freshman All-American Tre’tez Kinnaird had the best performance of his career, setting a new personal record of one minute and 47.99 seconds in the 800 meter run.The goal of running a sub-one minute and 49 second time to beat his previous personal record had been on Kinnaird’s mind for weeks.“I’ve been trying to get a PR for so long, and I’m so close,” he said last weekend before the Border Battle.Kinnaird, a Louisville, Ky., native, said he hoped to shine at Cardinal Park in front of family and friends.One week later in Lexington, Ky., he had that chance again — capitalizing on his support by securing the fourth-best 800 meter time in school history and the 10th-best in the NCAA.It is also the first time a Hoosier has run a sub-one minute 48 seconds 800 since Keith Allen in 1988.“The whole team was hanging on the fence as he went ripping by,” Associate Head Coach Jeff Huntoon said. “It was a courageous race.”Fellow All-American and junior Rorey Hunter continued his streak of success on the track, where he ran the sixth-fastest mile in program history. Paced by teammate Robby Nierman through the first two laps, Hunter cruised for a time of four minutes and .97 seconds — the fastest clocked on the University of Kentucky’s track. “Rorey decided to throw the hammer down,” Huntoon said. “He’s really found himself over the last two or three months, and he’s continued to run with a lot of confidence.”Sophomore Jordan Gornall, the third All-American from the distance medley relay, tailed Kinnaird closely during the 800 meter run. He finished fourth in one minute and 50.13 seconds.Together, the trio invited top performances from other IU teammates.“When you have a great racer, sometimes you’re not fortunate to have them right in front of you every day at practice,” Huntoon said. “We’ve got two or three kids on this team that just display a great level of composure. There’s a wonderful relaxed rhythm that I hope a lot of the young kids on our team are watching.”The 3000-meter steeple chase was the top event for the Hoosiers, bringing home four top-five finishers. In the men’s race, freshman Jason Crist, junior Nolan Fife and senior Nierman took spots two through four, which included a career-best finish of eight minutes and 58.36 seconds for Crist.Freshman Kelsey Kluesner emerged victorious in the women’s race in 10 minutes and 47.85 seconds — the 10th-best time in school history. Freshman Nakel McClinton also set a top-10 program mark. She finished fifth overall in the hammer throw competition, delivering on some pre-meet expectations set by Coach Huntoon. “Nakel, as a redshirt freshman, is really starting to make some strong gains,” he said before the Kentucky Relays. “Of course, you wish you could go out there and produce big performances week after week, but the consistency of training will allow it to happen at the right time.”Saturday proved to be the right time for McClinton. Her 55.79 meter (183 feet) toss in the women’s hammer throw is the second-best ever by a Hoosier.Huntoon said the meet left him thinking about other historic performances in the sport. “When we were riding back on the bus, I was thinking of when the first guy broke four minutes in the mile, and what a courageous effort that was to break down barriers,” Huntoon said. “We’ve got kids that are out there breaking barriers. It’s just impressive anytime you see someone run at that rhythm and at that pace.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After a successful outing for the IU pole vault program, the men and women pole-vaulters will rest this weekend while the remainder of the team travels to the Kentucky Relays. This weekend, IU track and field has its sights set on Lexington, Ky., where the Kentucky Wildcats will play host to a variety of competitors on their signature blue track.“It’s a brand-new venue for us, so we’ll see some different teams that we don’t normally see,” IU Associate Head Coach Jeff Huntoon said. “There’s a lot of upside to it.”Junior distance runner Evan Esselink returns to competition this Saturday for the first time since his record-setting 10-kilometer race in Stanford. Running the 10K in 29 minutes and 28 seconds — the sixth-best finish in school history — marked a turning point in Esselink’s focus as a runner.“I realized that I am definitely a distance guy,” he said. “A switch went off in my brain like, ‘This is what I’m good at. This is what I want to do.’”For Esselink, the upside of the Kentucky Relays is sharpening his speed as he builds toward longer races. He’ll compete in the mile, his first ever on an outdoor track.“Doing something a little faster before a 5K is always good. It makes the pace a little easier,” he said. “And I know that the 5K will then help the 10K feel easier when it matters.”This Saturday’s competition will mark back-to-back weekends for IU track and field in Kentucky. Last weekend, the team took part in the two-on-two Border Battle meet, dueling with Purdue against opponents Louisville and Notre Dame in Louisville, Ky. Senior Kelsie Ahbe led the women’s pole vault group in a strong performance at Cardinal Park. This week, she earned Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week honors with a personal record vault of 4.32 meters. That mark is a stadium record, meet record and the fifth-best clearance in the NCAA.“To see (Ahbe) have this kind of success and just knowing how much dedication, how much time and work she’s put in, that’s the rewarding part,” Assistant Coach Jake Wiseman said.Ahbe is the second of back-to-back Big Ten Athlete of the Week recipients for the Hoosiers.Senior Kyla Buckley, the other recipient, will face some fierce competition this weekend in the women’s shot put — an area where the Wildcats are strong. “This is a part of the country that seems to produce a lot of good throwing talent,” Huntton said. “Between a Southern Illinois, a Kentucky, an Indiana and a Louisville, you’ve got quite a concentration of really good female throwers. It’s a good opportunity for Kyla to continue to see competition at the national level.” For the first time in several weeks, the majority of the team will compete together, as athletes continue to strive for regional qualifying marks.But for Wiseman, this is the opportune weekend to give his the pole-vaulters time to rest before gearing up to championship form.“It’s a long year,” he said. “There’s a lot more track and field left for the athletes, and a lot more travel. “So anytime I feel the best benefit is to stay home to get more training in, that’s what we want to do.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Big Ten Indoor Champion Kelsie Ahbe picked up where she left off in the women’s pole vault, setting the meet and stadium record at the Border Battle in Cardinal Park last Saturday.The Border Battle pitted rivals IU and Purdue against Louisville and Notre Dame in a team format.“To go ahead and set a big personal best like that and compete as well as (Ahbe) did should give her a ton of confidence going into the middle to later part of this season,” Associate Head Coach Jeff Huntoon said.Ahbe and sophomores Sophie Gutermuth and Sydney Clute swept the women’s pole vault competition, finishing first, second and third, respectively.The fifth and sixth-best vaults in the NCAA now belong to Ahbe and Gutermuth at 4.32 and 4.30 meters — a mark that Gutermuth set two weeks ago at the Texas Relays.Another Hoosier trio followed suit, sweeping the men’s 1500-meter run. Junior Rorey Hunter led the way with a winning time of three minutes and 47.93 seconds. “Rorey has got it dialed in right now,” Huntoon said. “He’s got a great presence about him. I mentioned to some of the younger kids that I hope they’re taking advantage of a teammate who’s showing how to really do it.”Sophomore Cornelius Strickland set another meet record by winning the 100-meter dash in 10.44 seconds.Fellow sophomore Matt Birk also set a meet record, along with the fourth-best mark in program history, launching the spear 62.13 meters (203 feet, 10 inches) in the men’s javelin throw.Sophomores Sarah Maxson and Drew Volz set a pair of season-bests with leaps of 1.76 meters in the women’s high jump and 5.21 meters in the men’s pole vault — both winning marks.Two IU athletes took top prize in the men’s and women’s 3000-meter steeple chase competitions. Freshman Jason Christ won the men’s race in nine minutes and 9.08 seconds, with sophomore Brianna Johnson championing the women’s race in 10 minutes and 42.16 seconds.Last, but not least, junior Richard Rouse was awarded top honors in the men’s triple jump, soaring 6 meters, while junior Samantha Ginther won the women’s 1500 meter in four minutes and 33.26 seconds.Once again, senior Kyla Buckley did it all. Her winning streak could not be stopped.After earning Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week honors last week, Buckley pinned yet another blue ribbon to her résumé with a toss of 15.95 meters in the women’s shot put.The Hoosiers and Boilermakers came away with two wins, 125-72 in the men’s and 114-85 in the women’s competition.“Every year it’s a different meet for us, and so we wonder why go down there before we leave,” Huntoon said. “And every year, we drive home saying, ‘That was a great meet. We’ve got to make sure we go back next year.’”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In-state rivals IU and Purdue will find themselves in an unlikely position Saturday at the Louisville track and field Border Battle meet. The two teams will unite under one banner to represent the Hoosier State in its annual clash with Southern neighbor, Kentucky.For IU track and field, the meet is an exercise in camaraderie.“I’m not a hater of Purdue,” senior Arianne Raby said. “I’m friends with some of their runners. They’re good girls, so I think it will be fun.”This meet’s twist comes at the hands of the University of Kentucky, which opted out of the Battle this year.The Wildcats’ exit left a spot wide open for the Boilermakers, whose scores — along with the Hoosiers’ — will be tallied against the Cardinals’ and the Fighting Irish.“I don’t have a problem with Purdue,” freshman Tre’tez Kinnaird said. “They’re our rival, so hopefully there’s no tension between us.” The weekend calls for a change in loyalties — something Kinnaird has been prepping for long before the IU-Purdue announcement.As a former high school Kentucky State Champion and a Louisville native, Kinnaird will return home for the first time as a runner for the cream and crimson. He’ll have a few honorary IU fans fueling his performance at Cardinal Park.“Family and friends will be there to watch, so hopefully I can put on a show for them,” Kinnaird said. “Every time they come, I always do my best, and it’s always ended up being a really good race or PR.”Following a third-place finish at the Indoor Nationals in the distance medley relay, Kinnaird had a two-week training block he said helped him to get in hard, beneficial workouts.In his home opener at the Crimson Tide Invitational last weekend, he finished the 800-meter run in one minute and 49.74 seconds — securing himself a qualification berth for the NCAA first round.“I’m really happy to get the regional qualifying mark out of the way so I don’t have to stress about it throughout the year,” he said. “Now I can turn my attention to the relay, running with the team, and trying to make a name for ourselves.”Senior Kyla Buckley made yet another name for herself this week, earning Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week honors for her record-setting shot put throw at the Crimson Tide meet.This Saturday, she’ll compete alongside fellow senior Raby, who is not without titles of her own.During the first meet of the 2013-14 season, Raby set the school record in the 1,000 meter before falling to an injury that consumed the majority of her indoor season.Last weekend, she returned to competition in a big way, winning the women’s 1,500-meter race in Tuscaloosa. Now, Raby said she has high aspirations for closing out her final year with the Hoosiers, starting with the Border Battle.“I’m slowly getting my legs back,” she said. “I’m hoping to get my regional standard out of the way this weekend and get that weight off my shoulders. Then I can move on from there towards my end-of-the-season goals.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A combined 2,800 miles of travel added up to a big weekend for IU track and field.The split team competed at opposite ends of the country, finding success — and a few surprises — in both locations.At the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., Assistant Coach Rebecca Walter said junior Rorey Hunter defied the coaches’ expectations during his first ever 5K.He won the third-fastest heat of the day, finishing in 13 minutes and 55.20 seconds.“We almost didn’t take (Hunter) because he’s more of a miler,” Walter said. “Coach Helmer was thinking he was going to be around 14 (minutes) 15 (seconds), so he really outdid himself.”This season is shaping up to be a career-best for Hunter, who recently led the men’s distance medley relay to a third-place finish at Indoor Nationals.His 5K time is the fastest by an IU athlete this season, just five seconds off a top-10 program mark.Hunter finishes on the heels of junior Evan Esselink and freshman Amanda Behnke, both of whom earned top-10 program honors for the Hoosiers.Esselink ran the men’s 10K in 29 minutes and 28.39 seconds, securing the sixth-fastest time in school history.Behnke joined him in the record books, crossing the women’s 5K finish line in 16 minutes and 28.83 seconds.Her time is the 10th fastest by an IU athlete in the history of the event.“Amanda has been steadily progressing all year,” Walter said. “She doesn’t ever have a bad race, and so slowly she just chips away at her times.”Across the country, the rest of the team competed at the Crimson Tide Invitational in Tuscaloosa, Ala.After fouling all three of her throws last weekend at the Texas Relays, senior Kyla Buckley stormed back to capture first place in the women’s shot put.Buckley’s winning toss of 17.08 meters came on her final throw, setting a new meet record at the Crimson Tide Invitational.Senior Arianne Raby also took first for the Hoosiers, completing the women’s 1,500-meter race in four minutes and 27.14 seconds.Chipping in with top-five finishes were freshman Tre’tez Kinnaird and sophomores Cornelius Strickland, Jordan Gornall and Sydney Clute.Associate Head Coach Jeff Huntoon said the top athletes in Tuscaloosa have consistently performed well throughout season.“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said. “The kids that finished up indoors real well are still continuing to lead the program. We’re really young in some areas, so we’re still learning how to handle the rigors of both competing and training at a high level.”Huntoon said the next few weeks of competition will provide more opportunities for his team to improve before the postseason.The distance runners made strides in Palo Alto, nabbing a handful of qualifying berths to the NCAA regional meet.“They either made it, or they’re right on the bubble,” Walter said. “Almost all of them are within a few seconds of hitting a regional time and, for a lot of them, the 5K and 10K aren’t even their main events.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>From Tuscaloosa, Ala., to Palo Alto, Calif., IU track and field athletes will spend the weekend honing their skills against the nation’s top competition. The majority of the team will compete Saturday in the Crimson Tide Invite, with a select group of distance runners racing in the Stanford Invitational Friday.In Palo Alto, junior Samantha Ginther will look to duplicate her record-setting performance.Last year, she ran the third-fastest women’s 5k in school history, carrying on a long tradition of success at the Stanford Invitational. Four of the top-10 women’s 5k times in school history have been set at the Stanford Invite — Ginther’s included. At 16:15.34, the performance was a lifetime best. But Ginther said she hopes that mark will change on Friday.“Stanford is a place where it’s really easy to run fast because all the races are set up,” she said. “I’m in the same heat that I was in last year so hopefully I place a little higher and push a little harder and the PR will come.”Two weeks ago at the 49er Classic, Ginther set another school record in the women’s 3k steeple chase.The effort earned her the seventh-best time in program history and Big Ten Women’s Track Athlete of the Week honors.Sophomore Cornelius Strickland also had a strong performance at the 49er Classic. He competed in a total of five different races, with top-five finishes in each event. This Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Strickland said he will focus on the 100- and 200-meter dash, keeping his end-of season goals in mind. “My goal for both races is to get my ticket to regionals,” he said, “I’m staying real focused, just keeping my eye on the prize.”The Crimson Tide Invite will offer Strickland plenty of opportunities for fast results. The meet features a opponents from Florida State University, Louisville, Ky., Missouri, Oklahoma, Penn State and the University of Texas-Arlington. “My competition is hard, it’s challenging,” Strickland said. “These are the people we beat last year in regionals, so I just want to come back and show them that I didn’t go anywhere.”Meanwhile, in Palo Alto, the men’s distance runners will chase the school 10k record that was set at the 2011 Stanford Invitational by IU alum Andrew Poore.Junior Evan Esselink and sophomore Kyle Overway will compete in the men’s 10k, with the rest of the nine-man roster loaded in the highly competitive men’s 5k. IU Coach Ron Helmer said Stanford provides his team a chance to capitalize on early season success and stability.“I think that everybody that goes should run a time that will get them qualified for the NCAA first round,” he said. “If we can get that done this early in the season, then we can start filling in the gaps and train. It gives us a lot of options.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The day before IU freshman Ari Nelson departed for the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, she had one goal in mind.She wanted to jump 20 feet in the long jump competition. “I’m just trying to PR,” she said Tuesday. “(My goal) is 20 feet. Hopefully I can do that with the competition that’s going to be there.”Nelson, the only freshman competing for IU track and field Friday, didn’t let youth stop her from capitalizing at her first elite meet. Leaping a career-best 20.25 feet — 6.16 meters — she captured the seventh-best mark in program history and the ninth-best mark in the NCAA. The distance also secured her a first-place finish at the Texas Relays.“It’s difficult, first of all, to get a freshman into one of these meets,” Associate Head Coach Jeff Huntoon said. “Ari’s performances throughout the indoor season have really spoke for themselves. So she took advantage of an absolutely beautiful day and gave herself an opportunity to come away with a victory.”Sophomore Sophie Gutermuth joined Nelson in rewriting the IU record books. She cleared 4.30 meters, placing third in the women’s pole vault competition Friday. The vault, a career best for Gutermuth, is second-best in school history. Her performance was closely followed by senior Kelsie Ahbe, who finished fifth with a season-best vault of 4.15 meters. Senior Kyla Buckley’s performance, on the other hand, was a struggle. She fouled all three of her throws, failing to defend her title in the women’s shot-put. Huntoon said the last foul was a questionable call, but that it will only act as fuel for Buckley as the Big Ten Indoor Champion strives for a qualifying berth at outdoor nationals.“To her credit, it was her first outdoor meet,” he said. “With the weather being as it is, she really hasn’t had the opportunity to get the reps we need. But we have no doubt that she’ll be back and ready to go here these next couple meets.”Rounding up the Hoosier’s Texas Relays roster were sophomores Sarah Maxson, Drew Volz, Stephen Keller and Dylan Anderson. Maxson improved upon her winning mark from a year ago, jumping 1.75 meters and placing fifth in the women’s high-jump. In the men’s pole vault, Volz cleared 5.20 meters for the second time this season, tying his personal best for the second consecutive meet.Keller and Anderson finished 12th and 13th respectively in the men’s decathlon.Their final point totals of 6954 and 6881 were good for seventh and eighth all-time in program history. “We know this for a fact: the harder you try, the worse it gets,” Huntoon said. “Sarah and Kelsie really wanted to go ahead and put in some big numbers, which is exciting to see as a coach. They may have been a bit disappointed in the overall results, but the group as a whole was upbeat as to what their direction is moving forward.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>At last year’s Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, IU sophomore Sarah Maxson stood out from the other competitors. As a last-minute entrant in the women’s high jump open, she lacked the traditional bib that distinguishes an athlete’s name, year and number. Underneath the typed list of official entries, her name was scratched in pencil. All outward signs pointed to Maxson as an afterthought. “I definitely felt like the underdog, and I like being the underdog.” she said. “Then I always feel like I have something to prove.”When Maxson arrived at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas, she received word from Associate Head Coach Jeff Huntoon that the selections committee had bumped her in order to make room for other athletes. After some friendly persuasion, Huntoon secured a spot for Maxson — allowing her the one chance she needed. She proved herself to everyone — leaping 1.68 meters to win one of the most elite track meets in the NCAA.Now, Maxson will contend for back-to-back high jump titles at the 87th installment of the Texas Relays. She is one of eight IU student-athletes and one of two returning champions competing for the Hoosiers during the next four days. Senior Kyla Buckley, the other returning champion, will make her outdoor debut in the women’s shot put on Friday evening. For the men’s team, sophomores Dylan Anderson and Stephen Keller will compete today and Thursday in the men’s decathlon.Sophomore pole-vaulter Drew Volz will also compete on Thursday, in addition to senior Kelsie Ahbe and sophomore Sophie Gutermuth, who will vault for the women on Friday.Long-jumper Ari Nelson is the lone freshman traveling to Austin. She said the invitation is a privilege, and an indication of the success she has had thus far.“Being able to qualify shows that I’m improving as an athlete,” she said. “I really enjoy traveling because of the great competition.”The Texas Relays committee chooses which athletes are accepted to the meet. The field features numerous national qualifiers, All-Americas and Olympic competitors.Huntoon said his athletes belong right alongside them.“It’s not like we begged and pleaded to get them in,” he said. “They’ve gotten in on their own merits. The kids that are going are flat-out some of the best in the country.”But the selections process is a double-edged sword.Despite achieving a new personal-best mark of 1.78 meters, Maxson was relegated to the open — rather than the more prestigious invitational — section of the meet.The shortchange did nothing to deter her mentality.“I’m still thinking of myself as the underdog,” she said. “I’m going to mentally put myself in the invite, even if I can’t physically be in it. I can PR and compete against the invite girls, even if I’m in a different flight. It’s just a matter of where I’m placed.”