Arch-rivals visit campus for a dual meet

When the gold and black of Purdue stroll into Bloomington, regardless of the sport, teams realize the increased significance of the matchup. After spending the past two weekends on the road, IU returns home to the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex for a dual meet Saturday with the arch-rival Boilermakers.\nLast weekend, both IU and Purdue sent athletes to the Big Ten Invitational in West Lafayette, the Drake Relays in Iowa and the Penn Relays in Philadelphia. \nIU coach Randy Heisler emphasized the Purdue meet's importance for the upperclassmen to improve their performances because of recent setbacks the team has experienced.\n"You've gotta beat Purdue," Heisler said. "We are very thin in a lot of areas. We are going to struggle to put non-injured quality performances in a number of event areas."\nIU is riding a two-year team winning streak in its yearly dual-meet battles with Purdue. IU last lost to Purdue in its meet in 1999 when the Boilers played host to the Hoosiers. In 2001, IU hosted a quad-meet with Air Force, Indiana State and Purdue, with the Hoosiers prevailing.\nIn last season's Purdue dual-meet, IU senior Jennifer Cobbina jumped 6.04-meters, her personal best. Junior Mindy Peterson paced a 1-2-3 finish for the Hoosiers in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4 minutes, 31.44 seconds.\nPeterson's fellow distance runner, sophomore Kelly Siefker, set an NCAA regional qualifying time in last year's dual meet in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10 minutes, 41.84 seconds. Siefker set a new personal record in the steeplechase this past weekend at the Penn Relays and solidified her fifth place Big Ten "best list" position with a 10 minutes, 26.84 seconds result.\nSiefker, along with steeplechase teammate senior Audrey Giesler, will run the 3,000-meter run Saturday, as the two will not compete in the steeplechase again until the Big Ten Championship starting May 14.\n"I still think I need to learn how to race the 3K, and that is why I am excited about this weekend," Siefker said. "It's weird, cause with the steeple, I am just used to clearing the barriers, so I am not really worried about the distance. When I focus on just running the open (3K), I think that will give me confidence for the steeple."\nIU senior pole vaulter Ellison Tipton said the team looks to make a good performance against Purdue that will prepare the team to finish well at the Big Ten Championship in two weeks.\nWith Purdue coming to Bloomington, Tipton said she and her fellow pole vaulters hope to use this as motivation to perform well, as the Boilers traditionally have strong vaulters.\n"(Purdue's pole vaulters are) sort of like family when they come down here; we are all just a nice big group," Tipton said. "As for the other events, I'm sure other people will be motivated by the competition they have as well."\n-- Contact staff writer Steve Slivka at smslivka@indiana.edu.