Hoosiers competing in shadow of Little 500

The Little 500 men's race is Saturday, but don't remind the men's track team of that. It is working to stay focused on its noon home meet against Illinois and Eastern Michigan, the last scored home meet for the Hoosiers before the Big Ten Championships May 18-20 at home.\n"This Saturday will be a good test for the team," third-year coach Marshall Goss said. "Can we stay focused when there is lots of other stuff going on around us and can we run a little bit earlier in the day?" \nWhile much of the student body will be focused on the excitement of the Little 500, the men's team will keep its eyes on the Billy Hayes Track, next to Bill Armstrong Stadium, the site of Saturday's men's race.\n"I have grown out of the Little 5 thing since a few years ago," senior decathlete Brian Bowman said. "When you become a college athlete, there are just certain things you give up to be the best you can possibly be. Obviously, Little 5 would be great to watch and get involved with, but that's not a priority, so I don't really see it as a distraction."\nBowman will look to build on his success from last week, when he set six personal bests while placing fourth in the decathlon at the Sea Ray Relays in Tennessee. He accumulated 7,091 points in the 10 events. \n"The meet went really good for me," Bowman said. "Everything on the first day and beginning of the second day went great, but when I got to the discus, pole vault and javelin, things just fell apart. Those are usually my strong events, too." \nPlacing better in those events probably would have given Bowman an automatic qualification for the NCAA Tournament, he said.\nParticipation in the decathlon is unlike any other event in track and field, as it requires the athlete to participate in 10 different events. \n"All of the 10 different events, except for the mile, have something in common; and that is that they are speed events," Bowman said. "So even when I'm working on the shot put, the speed will transfer over to the pole vault and discus."\nThis meet will also mark the final home meet for Bowman, as he is a senior track athlete. He said he remains optimistic about his future. \n"At this level, you really have to ask yourself if it is time to get life started and get a piece of the 'American Dream,'" Bowman said. "I would like to take it where I can. If that means then I can continue competing after college, then that's what I'll do, but if not I will be content coaching collegiate athletics."\nBowman is one of the few senior leaders on the team, as younger athletes must look to juniors for the Hoosiers. The younger distance runners do not need to look any further then junior Kevin Chandler. He runs the 800-meter and 1500-meter events and has excelled in both all year, with several top finishes. Chandler said he is happy with his season but looks to the immediate future to become better. \n"The season is progressing in the right direction, but it's definitely not where I want to be right now," Chandler said. "There is still a lot of ways to go, but it's progressing in the right direction."\nBoth Chandler and Bowman said they are looking forward to Saturday. They said they both know that Illinois and Eastern Michigan are tough teams, and Illinois -- a conference rival -- will be back for the Big Ten Tournament. \n"They're both pretty good middle distance teams," Chandler said. "Illinois has some individuals that will be great competition and Eastern Michigan always provides great competition as well"