Freshman leaps to IU with long reputation

The men's track team has a strong horizontal jumping tradition which has scored crucial points in Big Ten Championship meets and qualified for NCAA Championship meets. Freshman long jumper Kiwan Lawson is the latest addition to this distinguished lineage. \nA decorated athlete at Marion-Franklin High School in Columbus, Ohio, Lawson was twice a high school Nike All-American. Faced with his choice of championship schools, Lawson chose IU for its combination of top-flight coaching, an elite training group and a vibrant campus life.\n"Not the parties, but the cleanliness of the school, the workforce's respect for IU's academic success and the beauty of the campus," Lawson said, explaining his reasons for choosing IU. "I'm from Ohio -- I didn't see limestone buildings until I got here."\nLawson has in some ways already made his mark -- finishing third with a personal best 7.36 meters in the long jump at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. Though his indoor campaign was limited to jumping, IU assistant coach Wayne Pate expects Lawson to step into the starting blocks during the outdoor season.\n"We hoped to have Kiwan running indoors," said Pate. "But an early season injury slowed that progress."\nMany successful long jumpers also compete in the triple jump. However, the two events require different types of athletes, and balancing both disciplines can be difficult.\n"Right now, Kiwan is a 24-foot long jumper," said IU coach Randy Heisler. "I'd hate for him to become a 23-foot long jumper just to become a 48-foot triple jumper. My view is that unless you're topped out or have obvious potential in another event, you stick with your strength."\nFor now, Lawson's strength is the long jump, an event in which he demands excellence from himself in every competition -- a challenging task considering the pending return of IU junior All-American Aarik Wilson.\n"I do not like placing second to anyone -- even if it's Aarik," Lawson said. "He'll be back outdoors and I look forward to jumping with and against him."\nPate said he also expects Wilson's return to further Lawson's development. \n"Both Aarik and Kiwan are very competitive, and to have that in practice everyday only makes them both better," Pate said.\nLawson's ambition -- early development and success, only further illustrate that his heart pumps the blood of a champion. \n"I tend to get upset with myself when things don't go right, because I am capable of jumping farther," Lawson said. "Everyone keeps saying that I am only a freshman, and things will take time to grasp. I want to win now. Indiana University brought me here to win, and that is what I'm going to do." \n-- Contact staff writer Rob DeWitte at rdewitte@indiana.edu.