Jumper looks to break own school records

IU senior Lauren Chesnut began her collegiate jumping career at George Mason University in Virginia and transferred to IU after her sophomore season. Chesnut made her mark in the Big Ten immediately as she set the IU school record in the triple jump with a leap of 13.02 meters.\nWhile at George Mason during her freshman season, Chesnut claimed the Colonial Athletic Association title in the outdoor triple jump with a then-personal best, 12.53 meters.\nThroughout this past weekend, Chesnut's jump of 12.62 meters from the Tyson Foods Invitational two weeks ago is the fifth best jump in the Big Ten this indoor season.\nChesnut took last Friday's meet, the Hoosier Hills Invitational, off in order to prepare for the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championship this Saturday and Sunday in Iowa City, Iowa. IU took second place at last year's Big Ten Indoor Championship, finishing 14.5 points behind Michigan.\nEven though Chesnut did not compete in the Hoosier Hills Invitational, which marks the end of the indoor regular season for IU, she said the past four years went fast.\n"This season has been a little difficult for me, I got off to a slow start, but things are coming around," Chesnut said. "There are some technical things that I (was not focusing on)."\nIU coach Randy Heisler said during the fall semester, Chesnut experienced deaths in the family and had to deal with traveling back and forth to her home in Elk Grove, Calif., and up until the last month, he said she was not able to focus her attention on jumping.\n"She qualified last year for the outdoor nationals, I know her goal is to qualify (for the indoor national championship)," Heisler said. "The conference is a situation where on a good day, she can win the meet. As a senior, I hope it works for her." \nNot only does Chesnut participate in the triple jump, but she holds other personal records in the long jump with a jump of 5.48 meters in last season's Michigan Quad Meet and ran 8.26 seconds in the 60-meter dash at the 2003 Hoosier Hills Invitational.\nChesnut said holding the school record in the triple-jump is great, but she wants to set a longer distance so it is harder for another athlete to come and break her record.\n"I should (break my record) next weekend," Chesnut said. "I will do it next weekend."\n-- Contact staff writer Steve Slivka at smslivka@indiana.edu.