Teams running to success at Big Tens

Accomplishments ran amok at the Big Ten Championships in Minnesota this weekend. The Hoosier men's and women's track teams placed among the top four in the conference championships. Such an impressive display came from remarkable individual performances by both teams.\nFor the women's team, junior Audrey Giesler became the first IU athlete to win a Big Ten 3,000-meter steeplechase title with a 10:14.19 time. Giesler's time gave her the Bierman Field record, a Big Ten championship record and qualifies her for the USA Track and Field Championships. \n"I've been happy with my steeple workouts and had a lot of confidence after Penn Relays," Giesler said in a press release. "The plan was pretty much try and lead or stay with the leaders as long as I could before making a move. It ended up working."\nGiesler was not alone in career accomplishment in this event. Freshman Kelly Siefker posted a career-best 10:41.24 time -- good for an eighth-place finish.\nThe Hoosiers' success did not end with the steeplechase event as senior All-American Rachelle Boone set a Bierman Field 100-meter record with a 11.4 second time. Boone, along with senior Danielle Carruthers and sophomore Ara Towns, qualified for the 100-meter finals. Carruthers finished in 11.6 seconds, while Towns matched her personal best of 11.74. \nIn the women's 1,500-meter, sophomore Mindy Peterson posted the fastest qualifying time, turning in a career-best 4:27.32. She surpassed her previous personal record by nearly two seconds. Peterson wasn't alone in the starting blocks as junior Allyson Hammond also advanced to the final with a preliminary time of 4:35.59.\nOn the men's side, sophomore Aarik Wilson captured a first-place finish in the long jump with a 7.73-meter leap. Wilson is the first IU men's athlete to win the long jump since Alan Turner won the event in 1991.\nIn the 1,500-meter event, the Hoosiers placed two runners into the finals. Sophomore John Jefferson finished with the fastest men's qualifying time (3:48.16). Sophomore Eric Redman also qualified for the final with a 3:53.31 time.\nIn total, the men's team qualified 20 runners for the NCAA Regionals. Junior Ryan Sarbinoff qualified in the 400-meter race, senior Matt Harris in the 110-meter hurdles and junior Daniel Martin qualified in the 400-meter hurdles. Sarbinoff qualified for the Big Ten finals and NCAA Regionals with a finish of 47.78, just .06 seconds off of his career-best time.