2-day meet prepares IU for conference races

Before the start of the two-day Indiana Invitational, IU coach Randy Heisler said the goal for IU was to gain experience of competing in a two-day track and field meet to be ready for the two-day Big Ten conference meet in three weeks.\nThat goal held true as three IU athletes set new season personal records. Senior Lauren Chesnut jumped 12.44 meters to win the triple jump, and juniors Emily Tharpe, who cleared 3.80 meters in the pole vault, and Charlene Maddox, who finished with a time of 24.74 seconds in the 200-meter dash, took first place in their respective events.\nTharpe, who holds both the IU women's indoor and outdoor pole vault records, tried to clear the NCAA provisional mark of 3.95 meters but was unsuccessful. She said it was important to get a chance to clear that height, because you cannot expect to do it all in one day.\n"I really feel like next week, and the week after, I'm going to be hitting provisionals," Tharpe said. "Hopefully going into Big Ten's, I'll have a lot of confidence.\n"I was really happy with how I performed. I wasn't excited, but I was happy," Tharpe said. "I think I am making the right steps in getting on bigger poles and jumping where I want to be jumping for these next two meets."\nTwenty-six schools or track clubs made up the field in the Indiana Invitational with Ohio State and Purdue being the only two Big Ten schools represented besides IU.\nSophomore Andrea Dalla Rosa competed in both the shot put and weight throw, placing second and tenth respectively, with measurements of 14.42 meters and 16.10 meters in the finals of both events. However, in Friday's shot put preliminary, Dalla Rosa had her best throw of the season with a distance of 14.77 meters.\nDalla Rosa said she had a good performance and used the event as a practice for the Big Ten meet, but still needs more distance in both events.\n"I felt more aggressive, but I still need some work. I still need practice and I still need to focus a lot more on what I am doing," Dalla Rosa said. "I learn every time, and I definitely picked up a few things this time that I think I will benefit from."\nOther IU athletes with notable performances were freshman Courtney Johnson who set a personal record for the second straight week by running the 60-meter hurdle in 8.50 seconds in the semi-finals Friday. In the finals Saturday, she set another personal record in the same event by running the distance in 8.48 seconds, which was good for first among the collegiate entries.\nSenior Audrey Giesler ran a personal record for the indoor 5,000-meter run by finishing third with a time of 17:02.77. This time is only 1.56 seconds off Giesler's personal record in the outdoor 5,000-meter, which she set last season at the Big Ten Championship.\n"We ran a lot of kids, in a lot of different races; it was an experience weekend, but it was a work weekend," Heisler said. "We ran a lot of athletes in (a two-day meet situation) where they hadn't done it all year and just (needed to) get them through that so they understand, 'You can do this and run fast.'"\n-- Contact staff writer Steve Slivka at smslivka@indiana.edu.