Hoosiers head west for relays

The IU women's track and field team travels to the Lone Star State today for the Texas Relays at the University of Texas. \nLast weekend, IU coach Randy Heisler sent the jumpers, sprinters and throwers to the Florida Relays and the distance runners to the Stanford Invitational.\nOnly the jumpers, sprinters and throwers will make the trip to Texas.\nHeisler said the performances at the meets in Florida and California were a great start to the outdoor season, as most of the athletes have not had a chance to compete since the Big Ten Indoor Meet a month ago.\n"We had a number of athletes qualify for the regional meet," Heisler said. "It's very early, and I think, overall, there were some positive things."\nThose athletes who reached NCAA qualifying marks last weekend were junior Ara Towns in the 100-meter dash, sophomore Kelly Siefker and senior Audrey Giesler in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, senior Lauren Chesnut in the triple-jump and sophomore Andrea Dalla Rosa in the shot put.\nNext week, IU returns home for the Indiana Relays, and Heisler said the strong competition at the Texas Relays will help the team relax for its home outdoor debut this season.\n"For those that have competed this last weekend and at Texas, next weekend should almost be a relief for them," Heisler said. "There will be good people (at the Indiana Relays) from those schools, but overall, the competition won't be as great as it is at the Texas Relays."\nIU senior jumper Jennifer Cobbina is making her first appearance at the Texas Relays after taking seventh in the long jump with a jump of 5.87 meters at the Florida Relays. A native of Scarborough, Ontario, Cobbina said she looks forward to the opportunity for competition in the warmer climate and hopes competing against the strong field in the Texas Relays will help her later in the season.\n"Every time we compete in the hot weather, I try to take advantage of it," Cobbina said. "It is definitely an advantage."\nLast weekend in Florida, IU freshman Stacey Clausing competed in the IU 4x200-meter relay along with the 4x400-meter relay team. The 4x200-relay team finished 10th in 1:38.9, and the 4x400-relay team finished 14th in 3:49.0.\nClausing said her legs felt heavy from the team's workouts leading up to the Florida Relays but the hard workouts will prove successful for competition later in the season.\n"If I come back knowing that I didn't run my best then I'll be very disappointed," Clausing said. "But if I run my hardest and I know that's the best I did and the times weren't great, then there's nothing more I could have done."\n-- Contact staff writer Steve Slivka at smslivka@indiana.edu.