IU will be split up between three different locations this weekend. The runners will compete at the Penn Relays, throwers at the Georgia Invitational and everyone else will round out the field at the Drake Relays.
The Penn Relays and Drake Relays both start Thursday and last through Saturday, while the Georgia Invitational is just Saturday.
IU Coach Ron Helmer said there are multiple reasons for splitting up the team.
Each group heads to a location more suitable for their events, and the move takes into account a Big Ten rule that stipulates student-athletes can’t miss more than eight days of classes in a semester for travel.
“You’ve got indoor that you have to account for, and then outdoor that you have to account for,” Helmer said. “In some cases, based on the schedule in a particular meet and how much time that we would miss, it just wasn’t an option for some kids who had more travel than others.”
Helmer had high praise for the Penn Relays, referring to it as one of the world’s greatest meets.
Freshman sprinter Taylor Williams was one of many Hoosiers who took a big step forward at last week’s dual meet against Purdue. Williams won the 400-meter dash in 54.27 seconds, the seventh-best time in school history. She said she was encouraged by the result and sees the time as an affirmation of her hard work in training.
Williams emphasized that splitting the team up amongst the three meets won’t affect its ability to sustain any momentum it gained last week.
“I know I have a great deal of the team still with me,” Williams said. “So I’m pretty sure that we’ll still be able to have that great teamwork and the ability to pull each other through the weekend,” Williams said.
At the moment, Williams sits at 53rd on the qualifying list for regionals. Only the top-48 qualify. She said it would be a great accomplishment for a true freshman like herself to get into regionals.
Helmer is hopeful Williams, and anyone else on the team just outside of the qualifying range, is especially locked in on qualifying.
“If we keep improving every week like we should, those things will take care of themselves,” Helmer said.
Sophomore high jumper Paul Galas isn’t one of those athletes who needs to improve his mark to qualify for regionals. He sits in 27th place on the qualifying list after he recorded a season-high 2.13 meter jump at the Purdue dual meet.
The high jump event concluded the meet, and Galas said he felt the support from his teammates contributed to his performance.
“That was a great feeling, knowing that all your teammates are there cheering for you and you’re the only one on the track,” Galas said. “That was great to see last week, and I think last week we really came together as a team and really appreciated what we were all doing.”
