Olympian Bob Kennedy to appear at Indiana Relay meet

For the first time in the program's history, the IU track and field program will hold a combined high school and collegiate meet -- the Indiana Relays.\nThe meet features three visiting collegiate teams and eight high school girls teams from the state of Indiana. The collegiate athletes will not compete against the high school athletes. \nSix of the eight high school teams competing ran in the state track meet last season, and this meet allows the teams a chance to experience the Haugh track, since the state meet will take place there in May.\nThe collegiate teams traveling to Bloomington are Central Michigan, Indiana State, and Southern Illinois. The high school girls teams competing are Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Center Grove, Columbus North, Franklin Central, Lawrence Central, Lawrence North and Warren Central.\n"I wanted to use the facility, and our resources to promote track and promote our program here," IU coach Randy Heisler said. "We already had the meet set with the college teams . . . the next thing was how do we get more involvement and that was to invite high schools."\nHigh schools teams are not the only athletes making notable appearances at the relays, as 10 former IU Olympians are expected to attend. Arguably the most notable of the group attending is former 5,000-meter distance runner Bob Kennedy who ran at the Barcelona games in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996.\nIU sophomore Andrea Dalla Rosa said one problem she's experienced all season is she is too tight in her events and needs to relax. Dalla Rosa will compete in the shot put, discus and hammer throw this weekend.\n"I tend to think too much, that's the problem," Dalla Rosa said. "My body knows how to do it, and when I think about it, then I'm thinking about how I'm suppose to throw and my body knows how. I should just throw, but that's easier said than done."\nHeisler said the home meet provides the opportunity for lower-tier athletes who may not have traveled with the team in previous meets the chance to compete and the opportunity for all athletes a chance to run on their home track.\nCompeting in the 400-meter hurdles for the first time this weekend, IU freshman Michele Huber said she is excited to compete for the first time on the Haugh track as her family is also making the trip down to Bloomington to watch her compete. Huber and the 4x400-meter relay team also look to improve on their time of 3:45.58 seconds in hope of reaching the NCAA regional time of 3:43.03.\n"I like (my family) being here because I know they are supporting me, and I can hear them cheering for me when I am running," Huber said. "They don't come to a lot of the meets just because they are so far away. So I am glad we have some home meets that they can come to."\nAction gets under way 5 p.m. today and 10 a.m. Saturday.\n-- Contact staff writer Steve Slivka at smslivka@indiana.edu.