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(03/24/14 4:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU senior Kyla Buckley and the Hoosier distance medley relay team earned All-American honors and went back to work competing in Charlotte, N.C., as track and field began its outdoor season.The Hoosiers opened the outdoor season at the 49er Classic Series. They competed Friday and Saturday, earning top prize in 10 events. Competing in the steeple chase and javelin events for the first time this season, the IU athletes were dominant.Sophomore Brianna Johnson and freshman Jason Crist won the two-kilometer steeple chase, while junior Nolan Fife, senior Robby Nierman and sophomore Josh Roche finished first, second and third, respectively, in the three-kilometer steeple chase. Sophomore Matt Birk’s javelin throw of 61.85 meters (202 feet, 11 inches) was good for another first-place finish, and the fourth-best toss in program history. “We had a lot of kids that if you mentioned their names, a personal best was behind it,” Associate Head Coach Jeff Huntoon said. “To run times that they were barely ahead of last year in an opener like this is great.”The team’s indoor strengths also continued to develop outdoors on UNC Charlotte’s Irwin Belk Track. Sophomores Drew Volz and Sophie Gutermuth won the men’s and women’s pole vault. Gutermuth’s clearance of 4.15 meters (13 feet, 7 inches) set a facility record. The duo of sophomore Owen Skeete and junior Samantha Ginther also found success, emerging victorious in the men’s and women’s three-kilometer race. Ginther crossed the finish line in 10 minutes and 24.89 seconds, 30 seconds before the nearest competitor. Though neither captured first, sophomore Cornelius Strickland and freshman Nakel McClinton held their own in numerous events. Strickland raced in five events throughout the weekend, with top-five finishes in each event, including fourth-place finishes in the 100- and 200-meter finals. McClinton placed fourth in the discus and hammer throws, capturing the ninth-best mark in school history by launching the hammer 45.32 meters (148 feet, 8 inches). “It was a long trip, but it was worth it to get a lot of work in,” Huntoon said. “We had a lot of kids that were able to do multiple events this weekend, and they took advantage of the conditions.”Huntoon said the beautiful Charlotte weather was an added benefit of the nine-hour bus ride, as the sun shone down on the field of 46 teams and 2,600 athletes during the two days of competition.But not all Hoosiers enjoyed the warmer climate. Distance medley runners freshman Tre’tez Kinnaird, sophomore Jordan Gornall and junior Rorey Hunter took the weekend to recover after finishing third in the Indoor Nationals. Senior Kyla Buckley, who finished ninth nationally in the women’s shot put, also rested. On Saturday, she celebrated her 23rd birthday with an All-American certificate. All four members of the distance medley relay were also recognized as All-Americans.Senior Derrick Morgan was the only national competitor who competed in Charlotte, winning his 400-meter heat in a time of 49.04 seconds. “What we talked about going out here is controlling what you can,” Huntoon said. “If the weather got crazy or the schedule got off, don’t worry about it. Do the best you can and make sure that you’re ready to go. And a lot of them were. It was a great way to start the season.”
(03/14/14 1:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the sixth consecutive year, IU’s distance medley relay will conclude its indoor track and field season at the NCAA Indoor Championship meet. Sophomore Jordan Gornall, senior Derrick Morgan, freshman Tre’tez Kinnaird and junior Rorey Hunter make up the distance medley — ranked second-best in the NCAA. They will join senior shot-putter Kyla Buckley in representing the Hoosiers in Albuquerque, N.M.These IU athletes will contend for two national titles and five All-American Honors as they compete this weekend against other elite college athletes from all over the country.IU Coach Ron Helmer said his Hoosiers are prepared to take advantage of another opportunity.“I think these athletes making most of their opportunities is what has most impressed me,” Helmer said. “I think if there’s a secret to success, that’s probably what it is. It’s what champions do.”Three weeks ago, the IU distance medley took advantage of their one chance to qualify for nationals by running the fifth-fastest time in collegiate history.But a week later at the Big Ten Championship, the quartet had a major hiccup. The mistake occurred when Kinnaird — who would have set a new school record with his 800-meter relay split at the Alex Wilson Invitational — was preparing to hand off to Hunter, the relay’s final leg.Hunter reached out his hand to grab the baton from Kinnaird, and the metal tube fell between their outstretched palms, toppling to the ground. It cost the relay a Big Ten title. “I think we learned our lesson,” Hunter said. “The race will be a lot different at nationals. It will be slow and tactical. I always pride myself on a good kick at the end, so I think if I stay with the frontrunners and race late, we’ll be fine.”Big Ten Champion Kyla Buckley has also faced adversity during the indoor season.The senior from Indianapolis started the season injured, but didn’t let it hold her back.She has surpassed her personal-best throw twice since her return. The second record came for Buckley at the Big Ten Championships, where she out-threw top-seeded Dani Bunch of Purdue to claim back-to-back indoor conference titles in the women’s shot put.Buckley’s winning throw of 17.17 meters (56 feet, four inches) puts her at sixth in the NCAA rankings heading into a weekend at nationals. “Kyla has the ability to throw farther yet than she’s shown us at this point,” Helmer said. “We’ve seen her throw better than her best throw in practice. She just needs to go in and handle the stress and anxiety of the competition. If she goes and hits a big one, then who knows what that will get her.”Earlier in the season, Helmer expressed his doubts about whether or not any of his athletes would score this year at the national meet. Now, with Buckley and the distance medley relay in prime positions to challenge for national titles, Helmer said he will pleased just to see them compete and score. “I’m hoping that both the relay and Kyla go in and compete well and come out of there with some points and All-America certificates,” he said. “If they do that, it will be a successful weekend.”
(03/07/14 5:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The third floor of the Elkin building in the Teter Quadrangle was the normal route for IU track and field weight thrower Dyrek Chowning as he returned home from practice.On a mid-January afternoon, he cruised past the dorms of his hallmates, side-stepping oncoming passersby, when he noticed something different about the same bulletin board he passed every day. Pinned over an ad for Baked! cookies and another for Campus Tutoring Services, a crisp, white sign-up sheet met Chowning’s gaze with stately presence. Yet it was the message on that paper and the familiar face that came to mind that held his attention.“It all started with the sign-up sheet in my dorm,” Chowning said. “I thought, ‘It’s just another way we can support him (IU Coach Ron Helmer).’” When he saw the opportunity to raise money for childhood cancer research, Chowning, a dedicated athlete and full-time student, didn’t hesitate. He thought only of his passion for volunteering, his love for helping children and his coach.“I definitely had Coach Helmer in mind when I thought about it,” Chowning said. “Then, after Jeremy of media relations and I talked it about it, I thought, ‘Let’s try to get the whole team to support our coach.’”Following that conversation, Chowning sent out a mass reply-all message attached to the team’s Big Ten Championship itinerary. “This Sunday, the ninth, I will be shaving my head for cancer awareness,” he said in the email. “I invite everyone to support the cause by either donating money or shaving their heads with me. This is another great way to support Coach Helmer, so let’s get together and do this as a team.”It’s not the first time the IU track and field team has rallied behind its coach, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma last year. The team customized bracelets with the slogan “No One Fights Alone” for every team member.Helmer has spent the last year fighting his cancer into remission, while doing his best to keep the illness quiet throughout the process. Though his health has never been a conversation point for him or the team, Helmer said he can see the affect his fight can have. “My initial response was, ‘I don’t want to be an inspiration or example for anybody, I just want to be well,’” he said. “And yet, if how you deal with being sick can be an inspiration and a service to someone else, then I think it’s a good thing.”As a coach, Helmer views Chowning’s fundraising efforts as an important step in the athlete’s maturation process. He said oftentimes athletes feel as though they’re expected to serve the community, but, for Chowning, that was never the case.“I have a real hard time with résumé builders and people who do things just because it makes them look good,” Helmer said. “However, when people genuinely feel a cause to help other people, like I think Dyrek does, it’s a very honorable thing.”Chowning has a long history of volunteering, from his childhood days as a Boy Scout to his adolescent work at the Ransburg Scout Reservation. Though he has raised only $100 so far, Chowning is confident he can reach his $1,000 goal before the end of the weekend.“If everyone on the team donated just $10, we’d easily reach that,” he said. His email has already received several positive responses from athletes on the team. Among them are redshirt freshman Brent Coulter, who agreed to have his head shaved alongside Chowning at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Teter Quad Nest Lounge.The IU event’s host, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, is one of more than 4,200 head-shaving events started by the non-profit childhood cancer organization since it was founded in 2000. Coulter and Chowning will be joined by numerous other IU volunteers, including a group from the Eigenmann Quadrangle that has raised more than $2,300. Parents and children of St. Baldrick’s will also be there to support the volunteers in their head shaving. Some will have the opportunity to open up about their personal experiences with battling cancer. “It’s a way for me to reach out to kids that have had it a lot harder than I have in my life,” Chowning said. “I’m just living out one of the things I have a passion for, and hopefully I’m able to help some people.”Helmer put the impact of fundraising events into perspective.“With my particular disease, a statistic I heard was in 2005, people diagnosed with multiple myeloma had 37-percent survival rate for five years,” he said. “Since 2005 to the present, the five-year survival rate has gone up to 87 percent. You know that’s a result of research, and research needs dollars, and dollars need events such as these to raise awareness.”
(03/03/14 5:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The senior members of the IU track and field team commemorated their final Big Ten Championship with strong performances.Reigning Big Ten Champion Kyla Buckley defended her title in the shot put, out-throwing top-seeded Dani Bunch of Purdue. She did it with a personal record performance of 17.17 meters — a 19-centimeter improvement from her previous best. The throw is second-best in school history and fifth-best in the NCAA. “I think it’s no small accident that three of our medal winners were fifth-year veterans, and have all been All-Americans in the past,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said. “That exemplifies the value of experience and the value of age.”Buckley continued the tradition of IU women’s throwers winning the Big Ten crown for seven consecutive years.Fifth-year senior Kelsie Ahbe joined Buckley on the gold medal stand.She cleared a season-best 4.20 meters to capture the conference title in the women’s pole vault and the second-best mark in program history. The vault is one centimeter behind the school record, which also belongs to Ahbe. “Kelsie was struggling,” Helmer said. “She told me that she heard what I saying, that I spoke to her heart. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, but certainly she cleared her head and made the most of it. I was very proud of her.”Sophomore Sophie Gutermuth matched Ahbe’s performance to claim second in the competition, the first of three Hoosiers to earn a silver medal.Senior Robby Nierman ran four minutes and 4.58 seconds in the 1600-meter qualifier and four minutes and 15.96 seconds in the finals to finish second in the Big Ten. Nierman and sophomore Sarah Maxwell represented IU on the medal stand Saturday, the second day of competition at the SPIRE institute in Geneva, Ohio.Maxwell jumped 1.77 meters, one centimeter below her season-best, to finish as runner-up in the women’s high jump. Freshman Tre’tez Kinnaird set a new school record when he won 600 meter prelims. He finished in one minute and 17.42 seconds, and rallied for a fourth-place in the finals in which he ran one minute and 17.45 seconds. Kinnaird will join the distance medley relay of Jordan Gornall, Derrick Morgan and Rorey Hunter at Nationals in two weeks. They will compete alongside Kyla Buckley as the only athletes to represent IU at the NCAA Indoor Championships this year in Albuquerque, N.M. For the rest of the team, the Big Ten Championships are the end of the 2013-14 indoor season. The men and women finished ninth and 10th respectively in the conference standings. “I don’t want people to leave here thinking that we can’t compete in this conference, and do so at a high level,” Helmer said. “We look forward to the future with hope, know that we have a job to do and that we’re growing into the athletes we need to be.”
(02/28/14 5:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Track and field teams across the Big Ten have one purpose this weekend — bringing home a conference championship. But this meet has a different significance for IU senior Kyla Buckley and sophomore Stephen Keller.Keller, the 12th-place finisher at last year’s indoor championship, will be looking to win her first Big Ten title when the team travels to Geneva, Ohio, Wednesday.Buckley, the team’s only returning Big Ten champion, will look to defend her title. “It’s going to be a head hunt between me and Purdue,” Buckley said. “I’m going to have to hone in, focus, and know that I can win it.”Since 2009, IU has claimed the Big Ten Indoor title for the women’s shot-put. Buckley said maintaining that tradition is of the utmost importance to her. Although she threw for a career best of 16.98 meters this season, Buckley will have to out-perform Purdue’s Dani Bunch, who currently leads the conference at 17.19 meters.The pair have met twice this season. Bunch won both encounters. In addition to the Big Ten meet, Buckley and Bunch will square off at Nationals, where the throwers rank No. 7 and No. 4, respectively. “Nationals are going to take care of themselves if I win against Purdue,” Buckley said. “That mark will have to be the best in the country. So if I win at Big Tens, everything will fall into place.”Heptathlon competitor Keller, on the other hand, has nowhere to go but up. After finishing near the bottom of the Big Ten last season, Keller made vast improvements in several key events, including a personal record of 15.19 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles — a mark that he accrued at the USA Decathlon Championships last summer. He is currently sixth in the men’s heptathlon conference rankings behind junior teammate Matt Gerbick (fifth) and sophomore teammate Dylan Anderson (fourth). “Being young, there’s a lot to learn,” Keller said. “That’s why the older I get, the better the score is going to be. As long as I keep improving and keep learning, then everything is good.”IU Coach Helmer said his focus will not be on wins and losses. Instead, he will evaluate his athletes in order to prepare for future championship contention.“If you can just lower expectations to a manageable level, and then have people go compete hard, you normally will get really good results,” he said. “Everybody thinks you’re supposed to get excited, but that all takes care of itself when the gun goes off.”Helmer said he hopes to replicate last weekend’s performance, where he saw his men’s distance medley relay race into national contention by recording the fifth-fastest time ever by a collegiate team. If all his athletes race with the same composure and competitive effort, Helmer said, he will be satisfied with whatever place the team finishes.“Some young people are going to have their coming out party this week,” he said. “I just want see a group go out and compete in a composed manner, and have results that reflect the level of preparation and work we’ve been doing.”
(02/24/14 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Before Saturday, Jordan Gornall, Derrick Morgan, Tre’tez Kinnaird and Rorey Hunter had never competed in a relay together.But after running the fifth-fastest distance medley relay in collegiate history, their names will forever be cemented together in the IU record books.The quartet bolted across the 4000-meter finish line in nine minutes and 27.72 seconds — the best time in program history.IU Coach Ron Helmer said his athletes had the capability all along.“We knew it was coming,” he said. “But with young, developing athletes, you can’t always go out on command and pull out a national championship time. We had that opportunity today.”It was Gornall who started with the baton, covering the first 1200 meters in two minutes and 53.5 seconds.He handed it off to Morgan, one of only two seniors on the IU men’s team, who scorched the 400-meter leg in 47.1 seconds.Then, with his last chance to qualify for indoor nationals hanging in the balance, Morgan passed on the torch to the freshman Kinnaird.Kinnaird ran a personal best — 1:49 in the 800-meter-leg — a two-second improvement from his performance a week ago.“Tre’tez is the kind of high-talent kid who loves to race,” Helmer said. “The other guys, they’re just really cool, calm and collected competitors. They’re not flashy, they’re not showy, they just stay composed and continue to give their teammates a chance.”Hunter kept his composure through the final 1600 meters. The junior coasted behind front-runners from Arkansas and Notre Dame until the final lap, where he outraced the field to finish in three minutes and 58.1 seconds.It was the first sub-four-minute mile for IU all season.“Rorey came off that last turn and ran away from everybody,” Helmer said. “It was a very impressive run, but a very controlled and composed run at the same time.”Hunter was the missing piece for the Hoosiers’ distance medley relay. He joined the lineup for the first time when he laced up on Saturday. But as a member of last year’s fourth place distance medley relay, it was a spot he had been in before.With the combination of their experience and youth, the quartet shaved 13 seconds off its previous time.The Hoosiers climbed from 14th to second in the national rankings and will compete at the NCAA Indoor Championship in Albuquerque, N.M., on March 28.Helmer said the record-setting victory at the Alex Wilson Invitational will continue to motivate his athletes as they prepare for nationals throughout the next two weeks.“When you run that kind of time against that kind of competition, it’s no fluke,” Helmer said. “It’s the real deal, which means they’re the real deal. I couldn’t be happier for them.”Follow reporter Tori Ziege on Twitter @ToriZiege.
(02/21/14 4:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This weekend, the Alex Wilson Invitational is the premier destination for collegiate track and field teams across the Midwest. National contenders will flock to South Bend for the last chance to punch their ticket to the NCAA Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. IU track and field will look to set up its distance medley relay to compete at the national meet for the fifth consecutive year.But first, the team needs to qualify.The distance medley relay combines the 1,200-, 400-, 800- and 1,600-meter runs. Sophomore Jordan Gornall will lead the three-quarter mile leg, followed by senior Derrick Morgan in the quarter and freshman Tre’tez Kinnaird in the half. Anchoring the race, however, will be a new face for this season’s distance medley relay. For the first time this season, junior Rorey Hunter will close out the final leg for the Hoosiers’ distance medley. IU Coach Ron Helmer said Hunter’s aggressive performance at the Hoosier Hills Invitational led him to make the change in the lineup.“You have to go with whoever’s hot,” Helmer said. “Last weekend I saw two really aggressive races out of him. He seems to have things figured out.”After winning the 3-kilometer race at the Purdue dual meet last month, Hunter said he went through a slump. Struggling both mentally and physically with a minor hip injury, Hunter had a breakthrough last weekend at IU’s final home meet of the indoor season. With personal records in the 1,200- and 800-meter, Hunter said he feels confident.“I feel good,” Hunter said. “I had a few mediocre races, but I got my head right. I got some good momentum going after this weekend.”At the Hoosier Hills Invitational last weekend, the distance medley relay clocked in at 9:40.51. Based on last year’s times, the quartet of Gornall, Morgan, Kinnaird and Hunter will need to shave 10 seconds off that time if they want to qualify for the national meet. The Alex Wilson Invitational will provide them ample opportunity. Last weekend, the Hoosiers were left on their own, with no one to push them through the final laps on Gladstein’s small, 200-meter track.This weekend the men will be racing on the Loftus Center’s oversized 320-meter track. The space and the competitive field — which Helmer said could yield as many as 12 national qualifiers — are two advantageous components of competing at Alex Wilson.“I know a lot of big schools with a lot of fast times are going to be there,” said Morgan. “We’ll have more competition and a bigger track, which will allow everybody to go a lot faster than this previous weekend.”That’s not to mention Hunter — the relay’s secret weapon.As a member of last year’s fourth-place distance medley relay at nationals, his experience could prove irreplaceable as he carries this year’s relay in the final stretch.“The boys are in good shape,” Hunter said. “Tre’tez is ready to have a big one, Jordan is ready to go and Derrick as well. If I just put my nose in it and stick it hard with those final four or five guys, then I think I can keep up and bring it home for us.”Follow reporter Tori Ziege on Twitter @ToriZiege
(02/17/14 1:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was always going to be an uphill battle for IU track and field.At the Hoosier Hills Invitational on Friday and Saturday, that reality finally began to sink in for IU Coach Ron Helmer and his young team.Despite earning a total of 39 personal records over the weekend, it was a somber group of IU athletes that gathered onto the Fieldhouse bleachers after the meet. Helmer told them not be complacent. He told them not be scared. He told them it wasn’t good enough yet.“It’s bittersweet because we’ve got 39 people moving forward, and all we can ask people to do is go forward,” Helmer said. “It would be really similar to (IU men’s basketball Coach) Crean telling you we did a really good job with our rebounding, we did a really good job with our shooting percentage, but we just got beat.”A top-10 national contender for the last four years and a top-20 for the last six, this IU track and field program has become accustomed to seeing its athletes produce championship-caliber performances.Now with the final weeks waning before championship competition, the younger athletes are beginning to feel fatigued. The unrelenting winter weather — forcing some to run 90 miles in the wind, slosh and snow — is taking its toll. Helmer said expectations need to remain high. “It takes a lot of energy to maintain a high level of expectation for a large group of people,” he said. “I know lots of coaches who only take what people are willing to give and then jump up and down and act like it’s a wonderful day. In the world we live in, you can’t do that.”Experienced members like senior Kyla Buckley understand what it takes to achieve high levels of success. The reigning Big Ten champion in the shot put, Buckley threw for 16.98 meters at Hoosier Hills, eight centimeters better than her championship-winning mark a season ago. “It was okay,” she said. “It wasn’t my best.”Currently, her throw is sixth-best in the nation.“She knows there’s a big one, she knows she’s fouled a couple huge ones, and she knows that she can be better,” Helmer said. “And if you know you can be better, it shouldn’t matter if you PR or not.”Helmer said he doesn’t want the team to get wrapped up in performance goals. If his athletes focus on beating their competition then the big marks will follow, he said. For the younger generation of Hoosiers, the effects of this lesson are already beginning to show.“They were some words I really needed,” sophomore Cornelius Strickland said. “With me getting the same times, I was struggling, I felt like maybe I wasn’t getting the right action. It really opened my eyes to a lot.”Strickland was one of six IU event-winners at the Hoosier Hills Invitational. He crossed the finish line first with a time of 6.87 seconds, one-hundredth of a second off his season best in the 60 meter dash. Sophomore Sophie Gutermuth, freshmen Drew Volz and Bethany Neeley, the men’s distance medley relay and Buckley all joined him with blue-ribbon finishes at the meet. “The message that I have to send to them is one of nice job, but let’s make sure that we give ourselves a chance to continue to go,” Helmer said. “I’m accepting of what it is, and I’ll celebrate the 39 PRs.”Follow reporter Tori Ziege on Twitter @ToriZiege.
(02/14/14 5:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU track and field team will maintain its rigid focus this weekend at the Hoosier Hills Invitational, the Hoosiers’ last home meet of their indoor season.IU Coach Ron Helmer said athletes at every level need to be prepared to run heart-stopping performances.Many will seek to build their confidence going into the Big Ten meet, he said, while others will look to set qualifying times for the NCAA Championships.Helmer said every second counts.“To prepare the athletes to have a really good Big Ten meet, I would prefer to rest as many as possible next week,” he said. “The difference between getting there and just missing is sometimes tenths of a second, and I don’t want to get caught chasing a time every single weekend.”Freshman Tre’tez Kinnaird is all too familiar with chasing times. Last weekend at the Meyo Invitational, he raced into the IU record books with a season-best time of one minute and 49.49 seconds in the 800-meter run. The time was the second fastest in program history. Kinnaird, who was the 2012 Kentucky State Champion in the 800-meter, said the performance was his best in two years.“I expected to run fast, but I didn’t expect to run that fast,” he said. “In high school I wasn’t really pushed a lot, so being pushed and just having that competition makes it even sweeter.”Kinnaird and fellow freshman teammate Jean Rouse are two Hoosiers who have already achieved great success in their first seasons at IU. For Rouse, the key has been relaxing at the start line. She doesn’t wear a watch when she races, so she said it was a complete surprise when she clocked a season-best 57.42 seconds in the 400-meter run last weekend.Despite chasing a national-qualifying time in the distance medley relay this weekend, Kinnaird said he doesn’t feel any pressure when he races.“This is my freshman year. This is a chance to start something big, and I shouldn’t stress over it,” he said. “I just go out there and run, and see what I’m capable of doing.”With the stakes high at Hoosier Hills, Helmer said there is another variable in play to this weekend’s equation.“They’re running for more than a chance to go to the national meet,” he said. “They’re actually running for the opportunity to be All-Americans.”Kinnaird said he will draw inspiration from some anonymous fans — and one special fan in particular.“I have a few valentines out there. I’m not saying any names,” he said. “But my mom is coming down, and I haven’t seen her in a while. That will be her Valentine’s gift — running real fast times.”Follow reporter Tori Ziege on Twitter @ToriZiege
(02/11/14 4:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Robby Nierman is an athlete who strives to be last — and his teammates commend him for it.As an under-the-radar transfer from Miami University of Ohio, Nierman entered his sophomore year as the last man, the slowest on the IU track and field distance roster. Now, as the lone senior member of the men’s distance team, Nierman is the last person anyone would expect to have national championship aspirations. But, with a strong head and an even stronger work ethic, Nierman has made a lasting impression during his three years at IU.Running is a sport of chase. Yet when it comes to practice, there is little means of escape. Mileage lost cannot be replicated, and the clock does not accept deception. Nierman learned this lesson the hard way during his freshman year at Miami. Lacking proper motivation and a rigorous training schedule, he lost a year of eligibility squandering his talents in the dining hall. “My first year here was a pretty big struggle,” he said. “But I always had my head down, and kept driving forward.”Nierman openly admits to the reality of the freshman 15. Entering his first season at IU, he weighed 17 pounds more than his high school physique. The 15th man on the distance roster, he said every workout was a race to hold on to the back of the pack.But Nierman held. And, slowly but surely, he climbed.The first step in Nierman’s metamorphosis was to adjust his workout routine. He increased his mileage from 55 to 75 miles per week. Unlike his days at Miami, there was no hiding — no way to let his talent slip between the lanes. Athletes were required to run seven days a week, come in early Sunday mornings and spend late afternoons in the weight room at least twice a week. It was a coaching philosophy that suited Nierman. He said IU offered him a place to push himself, something he longed for at his former university. The effects, however, would take a hard-fought 18 months to show. In his freshman year at IU, Nierman clocked a slow eight minute and 48.86 second three-kilometer run. By his junior year, Nierman was running eight minutes and 46.58 seconds in the steeple chase, a 3.2 kilometer race which involves clearing barriers and wading water puddles.Training alongside 11-time All-American Andy Bayer, Nierman qualified for the 12-man steeplechase finals at the NCAA Outdoor National Championship as a redshirt junior at IU. Teammate J.R. Ricker said the little things contributed to Nierman’s success. He said Nierman never wavers from his healthy diet, he stretches with purpose and he is always last to leave the training room. Ricker said Nierman’s regimen is a running joke amongst the team, but commands respect. For IU Coach Ron Helmer, Nierman’s work has sent a precedent for athletes of at every level. “Robby makes life really difficult for a bunch of people who struggle to commit,” Helmer said. “He’s proven that if you want it bad enough, and you’re willing to do that work, you can perform at a very high level.”These compliments are not taken lightly by Nierman, who is no stranger to humility. He said it was tears of gratitude which fell as he crossed the finish line at the 2013 Big Ten Cross-Country Championships — IU’s first Big Ten title since 1980. “It couldn’t have been any more perfect,” he said. “For me to go out in my senior season with a Big Ten title, and with the guys that I train with and love to death — they’re all like family to me.”During his final season for IU, Nierman has not allowed complacency to creep into his work ethic. He pushes himself and his family of runners, often sending out motivational emails and text messages to the team.After a five-point loss to Purdue earlier this season, Ricker said that Nierman took it upon himself to deliver an impassioned post-meet speech about the importance of fight — something that Nierman is all too familiar with, thanks to his beginning years at IU. “He’s been a leader, and he doesn’t mind holding people accountable,” Helmer said. “I appreciate his efforts in particular, because in this day and age, there’s not a lot of people willing to do that.”Nierman has many aspirations for his final season as a Hoosier. His numerous goals include qualifying for indoor nationals, winning a Big Ten title and finishing top-five in the NCAA Outdoor Championships.He said he wishes he could stick around to see the great tradition of IU distance runners continue. He is the lone graduate from the promising young squad.“I would be shocked if they didn’t win a national title in the next couple years,” Nierman said.Helmer summed up the magnitude of Nierman’s four-year career at IU.“The impressive thing about Robby is that when he transferred here, he was the guy at the end of the line,” he said. “He was the last guy, and he was the last guy that I would have figured to ultimately run the way he’s running.”
(02/10/14 1:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU track and field team earned two victories and set four top-10 program markers when it traveled during the weekend to the Meyo Invitational at South Bend.Despite missing several top performers from the women’s throwers and the men’s distance groups, the Hoosiers saw several young athletes fill their shoes by setting personal and school records.The biggest stand-out was freshman Tre’Trez Kinnaird. His first place finish in the 800-meter run was the only winning performance by an IU athlete Saturday. The women’s distance medley relay also finished first, thanks in part to the strong contributions of freshmen Bethany and Brittany Neeley.Kinnaird’s one minute and 49.49 second 800-meter finish puts him at seventh all-time in program history, and third overall in the Big Ten. The women’s winning distance medley relay time of 11 minutes and 30.14 seconds is the fastest time in the Big Ten this season, and good for 10th best in school history.“When we leave a lot of our top-level kids at home, as we did this weekend, you start putting people in positions maybe that they’re not quite ready for,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said. “But we have a lot of young kids that are trying hard.”Several other Hoosiers had successful efforts in the absence of the team’s more experienced members, indluding Freshman Danielle Quinn. Her season-best triple jump of 12.13 meters at Notre Dame’s Loftus Center was sixth-best all-time in the IU record books. Sophomore La Toya Williams closed out the quartet of program-best performances. She clocked in a season-best 60-meter dash at 7.63 seconds, good for eighth all-time. For Helmer, it was no surprise to see his youth challenge some of the more experienced runners at the invitational. But, he said there were several positions where he’s still waiting for a break-out performance. “When you’re being put in situations that you haven’t mastered yet, sometimes it’s going to go well, and sometimes it’s not going to go so well,” he said. “But that’s expected, that’s where we all need to exercise patience.”The sixth-year coach said he hopes patience will be the catalyst for his team as they round out the last month of the indoor season. Though he said he misses top performers like senior thrower Kyla Buckley on weekends such as these, Helmer said it’s necessary for his newcomers to step into leadership positions, and for his veterans to take a much needed break. In that regard, the Meyo Invitational is just another learning experience for Helmer and his team.“When we spend a weekend where we don’t have a person who can challenge for a win in every event, it becomes a different environment,” he said. “But that’s why we’ve got to celebrate those bright spots that we do have, and continue to grow where we’re not quite ready yet.”Follow reporter Tori Ziege on Twitter @ToriZiege.
(02/07/14 4:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU track and field team will travel the farthest it has all season to compete Friday at the Meyo Invitational in South Bend. This weekend will feature a change from the Hoosiers’ usual lineup. IU Coach Ron Helmer will rest the majority of his distance runners as they prepare for a tough span of competition ahead. Just three weeks after the Big Ten Championships, Helmer said he is focused on tailoring the invitational to fit each athlete’s individual needs.“We’ve got some athletes that are on a roll right now, and we need to put an exclamation point on it,” he said. IU pole vaulters Sophie Gutermuth and Drew Volz are looking to improve upon the record-setting results they posted last weekend at the Indiana Relays. The duo cleared 4.05 meters and 5.25 meters for fourth and ninth place, respectively, on IU’s all-time program lists.“Last weekend was a breakthrough,” Volz said. “It’s a huge relief to be over 17 feet again, and it gives me motivation to keep hitting those higher heights.”The difference for Volz has been in the mechanics of his vault. The transfer from South Florida returned to his native Bloomington where he spent the offseason reconstructing his technique. With the pieces finally coming together, Volz said he has his sights set on a Big Ten title.He currently sits at No. 2 in the conference. For Gutermuth, the key is duplicating success. The redshirt sophomore has earned a personal record in every meet she has competed in thus far. This weekend, she is preparing to carry on that winning performance to a foreign track.“I may not be jumping in my own pit, but I still need to keep the same training in mind,” she said.On the track, Helmer said he will focus on the sprint and middle distance groups. Junior Rorey Hunter, redshirt junior Nolan Fife and redshirt sophomore Samantha Ginther will be among the Hoosiers who will race to shave crucial seconds off their mile time.Thanks to the longer track at Notre Dame’s Loftus Center, which stretches one-fifth of a mile, those results will be tangible come Friday. “Oversized tracks, in a lot of races, are faster because there’s more room,” Helmer said. “You can get out on the big tracks and have more open, free running.”IU’s Gladstein Fieldhouse boasts a smaller 200-meter bank track. Though there is always an advantage to competing home, Helmer said there is little difference between his team’s routine at home and on the road.“Despite our younger runners, this is a mature group,” he said. “Really, it’s just business as usual.”Follow reporter Tori Ziege on Twitter @ToriZiege
(02/03/14 2:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Track and Field had another weekend of breakout performances at Gladstein Fieldhouse as the Hoosiers set 46 indoor personal records. IU played host to the Indiana Relays, 25 collegiate teams and more than 1,200 athletes last weekend.Going into the meet, IU Coach Ron Helmer said half the battle for his young team was competing regardless of the environment. On Saturday, surrounded by competition from across the nation, more than half the Hoosiers competed to earn an indoor personal-best mark. Redshirt sophomore Sarah Maxson led the way for IU. Her 1.78 meter clearance was a lifetime best, and a five-centimeter improvement from her indoor personal record. According to Maxson, it was a height she had never jumped in practice.Maxson came into the Indiana Relays one centimeter out of first in the Big Ten. Now, she sits atop the conference leader boards with the 21st best mark in the NCAA and fourth best mark in school history.“Jumping this high this early in the season is something that’s so out of character since I’ve been here,” Maxson said. “It’s kind of like a whole new me.”A pair of IU pole-vaulters followed Maxson’s performance with its own set of program-best marks. For the men, Drew Volz cleared 5.25 meters to secure the ninth best vault in school history. Sophie Gutermuth, his counterpart, cleared 4.05 meters for fourth best all-time. In the track events, redshirt junior J.R. Ricker ran a personal-best in the five-kilometer run to win the Indiana Relays. Paced by IU alum Andrew Poore, Ricker danced past the field in thE first 400 meters and never looked back the rest of the way.“To be honest, I didn’t have to do any work for the first 2 1/2,” he said. “I felt like I was out for a jog.”Ricker closed out the final 1K on his own, and crossed the finish at 14 minutes and 7.55 seconds. His 5K time is the best this year in the Big Ten conference, and qualifies for third best in the NCAA.Senior Erica Ridderman also holds the conference-best time in the women’s 5K. She completed the 25-lap race in 16 minutes and 57.39 seconds, just ahead of teammate Amanda Behnke, who finished with a personal-best time of 16 minutes and 59.33 seconds. Coach Helmer said he felt encouraged by several newcomers who stepped up to the plate this weekend.”For every place where there was a little frustration, we had a place where we saw a spark,” he said.The Hoosiers began implementing a lighter practice schedule the week leading into the Indiana Relays. Although Helmer said it will take time for his team to feel the full effects of rest, he admits that it can have a strong psychological effect on athlete performance.“I’ve been beating them up for six months,” he said. “At some point in time, you just have to start racing.”Follow reporter Tori Ziege on Twitter @ToriZiege.
(01/31/14 5:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU track and field will play host to the Indiana Relays in its second of back-to-back meets at Gladstein Fieldhouse Friday and Saturday. For the first time this season, the Hoosiers will compete in racing condition. They backed off their training this week in order to prepare for the toughest competition they’ve faced thus far, IU Coach Ron Helmer said. Helmer said he made the change to assist his men’s distance group, who will headline the meet in the 1600 meter run. “They train very hard — almost to a fault,” he said. “They need to have equal enthusiasm for rest, and that’s counterintuitive for guys who have really bought into what they’re doing.”Led by alumni De’Sean Turner and Andrew Poore, the distance corps will be set to run sub-four minutes, a championship-qualifying time in the NCAA. Competing in the 1600 meter are senior Robby Nierman, who holds the best mile time on the team at 4:02, and sophomore Matt Schwartzer, who was named this week’s Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week. Schwartzer, who clocked the 13th-fastest time nationally in men’s 3,000 meter, said he still had fuel left in the tank when he crossed the finish line Saturday. “Once we freshen up, I think I can go a little faster,” he said after the Gladstein Invitational. Helmer said patience is the key to developing the hardest-working team he’s coached. With the freshest legs and highest fitness level they’ve had all season, the IU athletes are finally equipped to show their coach the spark he’s been searching for.Sophomore Sarah Maxson is one IU athlete who has already provided a spark in the women’s high jump. Her 1.73 meter jump at the Gladstein Invite is second-best in the Big Ten Conference and one centimeter out of first. “This is the first time I’ve been really comfortable with my jumps since being here,” Maxson said. “It’s a motivation to see myself at the top of the leader boards.”Maxson says her motivation is entirely extrinsic. She attributes part of her success to working with Emma Kimoto, another IU alumna who has stuck around to train with her former teammates. Helmer said having decorated graduates competing alongside talented youngsters is a strong motivator.“They all traveled the same road that these guys are traveling, so their perspective being shared with frustrated athletes has great value,” he said. “Knowing they were involved with the same program, how could they not be inspired?”Follow reporter Tori Ziege on Twitter @ToriZiege
(01/27/14 4:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Gladstein Invitational celebrated former and current IU track and field athletes throughout the weekend with record-setting performances by both parties. Olympic bronze medalist and 2013 IU graduate Derek Drouin broke his own world record in the men’s heptathlon high jump. He cleared 2.29 meters (7 feet 6.25 inches), beating the former 2.27-meter record he set last year in Geneva, Ohio. Adding to the record books was IU alumna Molly Beckwith Ludlow, who clocked the third-fastest 800-meter time in the world at two minutes 2.13 seconds, a new fieldhouse record. Not to be outdone, IU track and field provided a nice complement to the stellar performance of its former athletes. The Hoosiers won three events and set six top-10 program records in addition to setting three top-10 marks in the NCAA. Two of the NCAA best times came during the men’s three-kilometer invitational. IU sophomore Matt Schwartzer and freshman Jason Crist finished three-four in the race to set the third and fourth fastest times in the nation. The duo clocked in at 8 minutes 5.77 seconds and 8 minutes 6.33 seconds respectively.Both athletes beat their personal records by more than 10 seconds.Schwartzer said he was proud of his top-three NCAA performance so early in the season.“If I could say the same thing in the middle of February, I’d be excited,” Schwartzer said. IU Coach Ron Helmer said it was no accident that his men’s distance squad finished eighth in the Cross-Country Championship, but added that he still expects more from them.“That shows you where my head is,” he said. “They were number three, four in the country, and it wasn’t good enough.”Senior Kyla Buckley had the other stand-out performance by the Hoosiers. Coming off an early-season injury, she threw for 16.7 meters in the shot put to snag the fifth-best mark in the nation.Buckley won the Big Ten title in the shot put as a junior and has high aspirations for her final season at IU.“I want to make a lot of noise at the NCAA meet, try to put myself out there and do some things I’ve never done,” she said. “Maybe a National Championship, maybe an All-American.”The Hoosiers emphasized that same kind of attitude in their post-meet talk. Rather than hearing another speech from Helmer, the athletes received a special surprise. Jack Harbaugh, father of NFL head coaches Jim and John Harbaugh and father-in-law of IU basketball coach Tom Crean, shared numerous stories with the team on the subject of attitude, determination and facing fears. “He loved talking to those kids,” Helmer said. “When somebody has a passion for delivering that message, that probably means as much as the message itself.”Follow reporter Tori Ziege on Twitter @ToriZiege.
(01/27/14 4:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Gladstein Invitational celebrated former and current IU track and field athletes throughout the weekend with record-setting performances by both parties. Olympic bronze medalist and 2013 IU graduate Derek Drouin broke his own world record in the men’s heptathlon high jump. He cleared 2.29 meters (7 feet 6.25 inches), beating the former 2.27-meter record he set last year in Geneva, Ohio. Adding to the record books was IU alumna Molly Beckwith Ludlow, who clocked the third-fastest 800-meter time in the world at two minutes 2.13 seconds, a new fieldhouse record. Not to be outdone, IU track and field provided a nice complement to the stellar performance of its former athletes. The Hoosiers won three events and set six top-10 program records in addition to setting three top-10 marks in the NCAA. Two of the NCAA best times came during the men’s three-kilometer invitational. IU sophomore Matt Schwartzer and freshman Jason Crist finished three-four in the race to set the third and fourth fastest times in the nation. The duo clocked in at 8 minutes 5.77 seconds and 8 minutes 6.33 seconds respectively.Both athletes beat their personal records by more than 10 seconds.Schwartzer said he was proud of his top-three NCAA performance so early in the season.“If I could say the same thing in the middle of February, I’d be excited,” Schwartzer said. IU Coach Ron Helmer said it was no accident that his men’s distance squad finished eighth in the Cross-Country Championship, but added that he still expects more from them.“That shows you where my head is,” he said. “They were number three, four in the country, and it wasn’t good enough.”Senior Kyla Buckley had the other stand-out performance by the Hoosiers. Coming off an early-season injury, she threw for 16.7 meters in the shot put to snag the fifth-best mark in the nation.Buckley won the Big Ten title in the shot put as a junior and has high aspirations for her final season at IU.“I want to make a lot of noise at the NCAA meet, try to put myself out there and do some things I’ve never done,” she said. “Maybe a National Championship, maybe an All-American.”The Hoosiers emphasized that same kind of attitude in their post-meet talk. Rather than hearing another speech from Helmer, the athletes received a special surprise. Jack Harbaugh, father of NFL head coaches Jim and John Harbaugh and father-in-law of IU basketball coach Tom Crean, shared numerous stories with the team on the subject of attitude, determination and facing fears. “He loved talking to those kids,” Helmer said. “When somebody has a passion for delivering that message, that probably means as much as the message itself.”Follow reporter Tori Ziege on Twitter @ToriZiege.
(01/24/14 5:45pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The annual Gladstein Invitational begins Friday at Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse, one of the nation’s top-ranked sports facilities and home to IU indoor track and field.During the next two days, IU runners, jumpers, throwers and hurdlers will have the opportunity to compete with athletes from across the nation. The competition includes Big Ten opponents Ohio State and Purdue, who narrowly defeated the Hoosiers in a dual meet last Saturday. But the invitational is a different beast entirely, with top competitors hailing all the way from Dayton University and Missouri State University.IU’s focus will shift from team performance to individual performance, giving its athletes a chance to compete for early-season success. Freshmen Ari Nelson and Jason Crist have already found success.Nelson was the Indiana High School State Champion for the long jump in 2013. After fouling all four of her jumps at the Hoosier Open, Nelson rebounded in West Lafayette to claim first place in the long jump with a personal record of 5.95 meters.The mark is the ninth-best in program history.Heading into the Gladstein Invitational, Nelson said she has a newfound excitement.“Going to the Purdue meet brought back my confidence and showed me that I can compete at the collegiate level,” Nelson said. “It’s great to be around a group of girls who love long jump, and are as passionate about it as me.”Crist, a long-distance runner, is also coming off a strong performance. He out-raced Boilermakers and Hoosiers alike to win the men’s mile last weekend.At the invitational, he will compete in the men’s 3K — expected to be the invite’s marquee event. Crist said he aims to finish the race in eight minutes, an 18-second improvement from his current personal record. IU Coach Ron Helmer sees no reason why that mark isn’t attainable. “It’s a great facility, and our athletes know it,” Helmer said. “If they think they’re going to run fast, they probably will.” Though the Hoosiers had their lightest workload in recent weeks, Helmer said the team’s attitude has been focused and business-like. Just as an audience can easily gauge a football player’s hustle on the field or basketball player’s physicality on the court, Helmer said he can gauge the energy of his runners. “I like where we are,” he said. “It’s a positive energy, and a group that’s very much looking forward to the weekend.”Follow reporter Tori Ziege on Twitter @ToriZiege
(01/21/14 3:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU track and field team arrived in West Lafayette on Saturday afternoon expecting a close battle, and Purdue gave it one. The Boilermakers edged out the Hoosiers by a total score of 70-65 for the men and 72-64 for the women, giving Purdue its first dual meet win against IU since 2008.IU claimed the top prize in 14 of the 32 events. “When the score is that close, all it takes is for us to a get a third instead of them getting a third, and that’s a two-point swing,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said.Purdue swept IU in the women’s 60-meter dash, the women’s hurdles, the men’s 200-meter dash and the men’s shot put. Helmer said the clean sweeps weren’t the problem, but rather IU’s collective inability to compete in close events.“We just weren’t willing to fight hard enough for those very obtainable points that would have made the difference,” Helmer said. Though their fight may not have been enough to secure a victory Saturday, the Hoosiers had several stand-out performances, including four athletes with top 10 program marks. IU’s performance was headlined by its distance runners, who proved their talents by sweeping the men’s mile, men’s 3,000-meter run, women’s mile and women’s 3,000.Freshman Jason Crist, who led IU’s winning trio for the mile across the finish line, was one of many athletes whom Helmer cited for their strong, competitive performance.“What I saw today was some depth and talent from the men’s distance runners that will allow them to make their mark at the national level moving forward,” he said. On the women’s side, IU dominated the field events, taking the top three spots in both the pole vault and the high jump. Sophomore Sophie Gutermuth’s vault of 3.95 matched the fourth-best in school history, and freshman Danielle Quinn’s 12.11 triple jump was sixth-best all time for the Hoosiers. “What excited me most on the girl’s side was watching our freshmen compete,” Helmer said. “Very quickly there are six or seven freshmen girls who have what it takes to give us a bright future.”Other winning athletes for the Hoosiers include La Toya Williams (200), Samantha Ginther (mile), Samantha Ginther (3,000), Sarah Maxson (high jump) and Arianne Nelson (long jump). IU’s first-place finishers on the men’s side were Tretez Kinniard (600-meter run), Jordan Gornall (800-meter run), Rorey Hunter (3,000), Stephen Keller (high jump), Drew Volz (pole vault), Richard Rouse Jr. (triple jump) and the men’s 4-by-800-meter relay team.Follow reporter Tori Ziege on Twitter @ToriZiege.