Lloyd bringing IU into national scene

Coming out of high school, UnRico Lloyd had a decision to make.\nIn high school, Lloyd participated on a state champion track team while winning several individual state titles in the 100-meter and long jump competitions. He also finished second in the 200-meter race and ran in the Penn Relays his senior year. Lloyd was also on the football team and was offered scholarships from schools to come play football. \nFormer head football coach Cam Cameron offered Lloyd a football scholarship and promised him the opportunity to run track at IU as well. Lloyd jumped at the offer. He red-shirted his first football season for the Hoosiers but when the time came for track, it was suggested that he not run. He needed to decide between football or track.\nHe decided on track and is now ranked second in the Big Ten in both the long jump and 60-meter dash. The freshman will attempt to score in those two events and the 200-meter dash this weekend in the Big Ten Indoor Championships. \n"Most of the time he is with the jumpers, but when he comes with the sprinters he runs some remarkable times," sophomore Contrell Ash said. "Last year he ran unattached a couple of times without a lot of practice and ran some good times too, so I know he has some raw talent."\nLloyd also has plans to compete on the national level. The Hoosiers appear to have six athletes that are headed to the NCAA Indoor Championship and one more would give IU a nice showing in its attempts to return to the national scene. The athletes must compete within a certain amount of time or distance to move on to nationals. \n"Coach said there is no way I should not qualify for Nationals," Lloyd said. "I hope my first jump (this weekend) is a qualify jump that way I can go to Nationals."\nWith a promising future in both sprints and long jump, Lloyd can help this team get to the national level for the first time in nearly a decade \n"I think we are ready for the national level," head coach Marshall Goss said. "Athletics is a mindset, and we haven't had an athletic mindset in men's track in the past but we have an athletic mindset now and Lloyd is in that group along with the rest of our kids"