Jefferson finds new support

In last year's Big Ten Championships, sophomore twins John and Sean Jefferson were fourth and sixth, respectively, helping John Jefferson to Freshman of the Year honors in the conference. At this year's Big Ten meet, John will not be running due to an injury, yet Sean will be counted on to perform as he was the No. 1 or 2 runner all season for the Hoosiers.\nThree weeks after being named Athlete of the Week by the Big Ten, Jefferson is one of the elite runners in the conference and looks to prove it this weekend. \nJefferson has still been one of the top runners on the IU team this season even without the help that his brother provides for him. \nLast year, the Jeffersons would train together, push each other in practice and, when it came time to race, would feed off each other. In the races, the twins from Delray Beach, Fla., would run with each other. \nSo far this season, the absence of his brother has not greatly affected him individually. \n"It really has not been that big of a deal for me," Sean said. "(Senior Chris) Powers has stepped in and really taken his place as another front runner."\nAfter redshirting his senior season and spending a year abroad, fifth-year senior Powers has helped Jefferson perform well with the absence of his brother.\n"This season, Sean and I have been working great together," Powers said. "We run about every workout together and really push each other every time out."\nHe said he believes Sean has really had a chance to prove himself this year and come into his own without his brother.\nSo far this season, Jefferson describes his own performance as pretty good, with two good races and one mediocre performance. \nIn the Indiana Intercollegiates meet, Sean tied for first with his teammates, seniors Chad Andrews and Powers. \nIn the Murray Keating Invitational, Sean ran a personal best time of 24:01 in the 8k race, placing him first for the team and fifth overall. \nThe Pre-NCAA race is the performance Sean described as mediocre. He finished second for the team but 35th overall. \nHeading into the last meets of the season, Sean said he is not overly nervous but excited. Fortunately, he has had opportunities to run in some big, high pressure races. \n"I don't usually get that nervous heading into these meets," Sean said. "I have run the USA Track Finals with some of the best runners not only collegiately but nationally."\nTeammate, sophomore Eric Redman, knows that Jefferson will be ready as the max of the season nears. Even without his brother there pushing him in the races, Powers has really shifted over into that role and will help him, Redman said.\n"Powers has helped a lot, and with each other the two of them can both be All-Americans at the end of the season," Redman said. \n-- Contact staff writer Alex Witteveld at pawittev@indiana.edu.