Coach says IU needs depth to beat talented Buckeyes

Women's track and field coach Randy Heisler looked at the entry sheets for his Hoosiers' meet against Ohio State and determined the Buckeyes could win at least seven events Saturday at Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse.\n"On paper, they win the 60; they win the hurdles, they win the 200, they win the 400, they win the 600," Heisler said. "They win the shot, they win the weight.\n"They win all those events on paper. About half of those performances are going to be very good for them. We're talking national-caliber performances."\nSo how can the Hoosiers beat the Buckeyes? \nWith depth and with much better performances than those in IU's 81-81 tie against Michigan last weekend, Heisler said. The Hoosiers won nine of 15 events, but couldn't secure enough second- and third-place finishes to capture the meet. IU is far from its Big Ten championship form of last year.\n"This team, right now, isn't very good," Heisler said. "Last weekend, I think somewhere along the line they were thinking, 'We're the defending Big Ten champions.' That team ended last year. Based on our performances last weekend, we got some work to do. We had some performances that are not going to allow us to win the Big Ten."\n Even defending Big Ten shot put champion, senior Jen Brown didn't have her best meet against Michigan, despite her wins in the shot put and weight throw, Heisler said. Brown will face Ohio State's Katy Craig, who has automatically qualified for the NCAA indoor championships in the weight throw with a distance of 19.59 meters.\n"We've competed against her last year," said Brown, whose best weight throw this season was 18.24 meters. "It's not like it's someone I haven't seen, so I think confidence will play a big factor. This is my home, so I should be a little more confident than she is to come in and beat me. I'm always up for competition."\nWhile Heisler expects Brown to step up her throwing against the Buckeyes, he will also have to do without several Hoosiers. Senior Maria Fleishmann, the IU record holder in the triple jump, has an ailing back. Sophomores Amanda Bell and Allyson Hammond are nursing stress fractures and an injured toe, respectively.\nDespite injuries, the Hoosiers have an advantage against the Buckeyes in team depth, Heisler said. In the 60-meter dash alone, IU boasts six sprinters who can run the distance in less than eight seconds, while Ohio State entered only two runners in the race. But one of those two entrants is All-American Donica Merriman, who posts a season best of 7.48 seconds. Sophomore Rachelle Boone claims the best time for IU at 7.48.\nMerriman placed fourth in the 200-meter run and third in the 60-meter hurdles at last year's NCAA indoor championships. Her entry time for the hurdles is 8.32 seconds while IU All-American Danielle Carruthers, a sophomore, offers 8.40 seconds. Carruthers finished 11th at the NCAAs in the hurdles.\nAlthough Ohio State appears poised to win most of the events against the Hoosiers, senior Lorraine Dunlop has confidence her team could defeat the Buckeyes.\n"They could say whatever they want on paper; I know what I'm capable of, and I've heard what they're capable of," said Dunlop, an All-American. "I feel I'll come out on top in whatever I do. Ohio State doesn't phase me"