Looking for a repeat

After finishing third at the Big Ten indoor track championship, the women athletes missed the feeling of winning. Since that wake-up call, the Hoosiers have begun the quest for consecutive outdoor titles.\nAlthough third place was never the Hoosiers' goal going into the meet, the athletes showed resolve and regrouped with good performances at the NCAA indoor track championship.\nFour athletes qualified for the national meet, the most sent by IU since 1989. A Big Ten leading three athletes obtained All-American honors. Sophomore Rachelle Boone took fourth in the 60-meters and second in the 200-meters.\nSeniors Jennifer Brown and Lorraine Dunlop also earned All-American honors in the shot put and 60-meter sprint, respectively.\nNow that the indoor season is behind the Hoosiers, the team will focus on its outdoor season opener at the unscored Arizona State Baldy Castillo Invitational.\nCoach Randy Heisler said he believes the outdoor season will bring more success because of the added depth of five or six athletes who have placed fourth or higher in the conference meet, but were not available for the indoor season because of injury.\n"We definitely have the quality if everyone is healthy and shows up to the meet and does what they're supposed to do," Heisler said. "We have the ability for our No. 2 athlete to beat the rest of the conference, but it's just a matter of them going out and doing it."\nOne of these important athletes is senior Maria Fleischmann who will add a needed body to the jump squad after missing most of the indoor season with injury.\nFleischmann knows how to score points at big meets. She finished fourth, third and second in the triple jump at her first three Big Ten outdoor championships.\nShe must battle through a back injury that sidelined her for most of the indoor season, but she said she feels better after taking time off during spring break.\n"I'm ready to go out there," Fleischmann said. "I just have to take it one step at a time because with this kind of injury you just never know what will happen."\nFleischmann's past successes provide her with encouragement, but she said it upsets her to know that she could be doing so much better if not for the injury.\n"I know I can come back," Fleischmann said. "This is my last season, so I'm just willing to give it my all."\nAlso joining the team for the outdoor season is two-sport star sophomore Irina Kharun, who will be launching javelins to return to the national spotlight, where she placed ninth as a freshman. Although the Romanian is still new to the collegiate atmosphere, she said she has high hopes for this season.\n"Hopefully I'll be fifth in the country," Kharun said. "It's a lot different here then in my country. My teammates understand that I'm here alone and they all cheer for me."\nA major problem for the indoor squad was the loss of the two distance runners, sophomores Amanda Bell and Allyson Hammond, to injury. Even though runners such as freshman Lauren Weddell stepped up from the shadows and placed fifth at the conference meet, the lack of the two major recruits created a hole in the distance events.\nOn a positive note, Bell will run this weekend and Hammond is pain free and trying to get back in shape.\n"They're both talented enough to qualify for the NCAAs, but it's going to take a lot of work from them," Heisler said. \nMen move outdoors\nThe men's indoor track team is ready to switch gears after a ninth place finish at the Big Ten indoor track championship.\nThe Hoosiers travel to Arizona State this weekend to focus on the long outdoor season. \nCoaches and athletes view this season positively even after the setbacks in the indoor season.\n"We look at this season as a challenge," coach Marshall Goss said. "Ninth place was not that good, but we had eight people go on our Top 5 list. That's normally a pretty good season, but we just have to get more depth and more consistency. This will be a great meet because it's the type of meet we need to start off with to see where we are."\nOne bright point from the indoor season that is expected to continue during this season was the performance of All-American pole-vaulter junior Dino Efthimiou. He captured fifth at the national level.\nSenior Kris Mack and sophomore Ian Curry look to add depth in the pole vault.\n"That's going to be nice to have Mack with us," Efthimiou said. "Ian should qualify and Mack has jumped high enough to qualify, too. It's going to be pretty exciting to possibly have three of us qualify and be at the top in the nation"