Coach Heisler urges team to step up and compete with more intensity

The IU women's track and field team is coming off what coach Randy Heisler called an "unacceptable" performance against Purdue in the schools' annual dual-meet last weekend as the Hoosiers look to turn things around in Friday's Billy Hayes Invitational.\nPurdue defeated IU last weekend 94-92 and the men's track and field team defeated the Boilermakers 108-76. With the IU women's loss and the men's victory, the Titan Series standings between the two schools remains tied at 8.5 points apiece.\nThis is the 26th running of the Billy Hayes Invitational, dating back to 1979, and is the last meet for the Hoosiers before the Big Ten Championships next weekend in West Lafayette.\n"There are a lot of young ladies that just need to step up and decide if this is what they want to do," Heisler said. "Or let me know now because we can save some hotel space."\nTwo Hoosiers with great performances last weekend were freshmen Stacey Clausing and Courtney Johnson. Clausing set a new personal record in the 400-meter dash with a time of 54.63 seconds, good for first place. She also placed first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.28.\nClausing said she and the coaching staff decided to take it easy in today's meet by only competing in one event in anticipation of next weekend's Big Ten meet.\n"Since I didn't (reach an NCAA regional qualifying mark), I'll probably run the open 4," Clausing said.\nIn the previous seven weeks of competition during the outdoor season, ten Hoosier athletes reached NCAA regional qualifying marks in seven different events. IU senior Audrey Giesler is the only Hoosier athlete from the women's side to post NCAA regional qualifying marks in two events -- the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:27.09) and 5,000-meter run (16:14.88).\nJohnson won the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles against Purdue with two personal best times of 13.68 and 1:03.77, respectively. She said today's meet will help in her final preparations for next weekend's competition in West Lafayette.\n"(I want to) concentrate more on attacking the first hurdle and getting out of the block and concentrate more on the last 150-meters of my 400-meter race," Johnson said. "Stay strong and attack the last few hurdles."\nThe Billy Hayes Invitational gets underway at 4:00 p.m., with the women's hammer throw, and is set to conclude under the lights with the men's 4x400-meter relay at 8:20p.m. Admission to the event is free for IU students who provide a valid student ID.\n-- Contact staff writer Steve Slivka at smslivka@indiana.edu.