Records fall as IU takes 4th at Big Ten Outdoors

The Big Ten Outdoor Championships at Purdue, held last weekend, brought IU's men's track and field team a fourth place finish while Wisconsin took home the top spot in the highly competitive meet. But IU garnered a number of outstanding results and provided several athletes with stepping stones to bigger and better things.\nFreshman All-American David Neville provided IU's top achievements. Undefeated outdoors, Neville raced both the 400 and 200 meters. The races offered fierce competition in Minnesota's Mitch Potter and Adam Steele, both of whom earned 2003 World Championships gold medals last summer in Paris by competing on the USA 4x400 meter relay team. In the 400, where the Gopher sprinters were third and first respectively in last year's NCAA Championships, Neville drew a lane inside both of the highly touted Gophers. Neville bolted out of the blocks, grabbing an early backstretch lead, closing the gap on the Minnesota duo. As he emerged from the final turn in the lead, Potter readied for a final push. But Neville maintained form, breaking the track record and setting a 1.1 second personal best, finishing first in 45.05 seconds, good enough for second all-time at IU.\n"I went all out at the Indiana Relays," said Neville, whose time ranks third in the nation and sixth internationally. "This is the first time since then. This was definitely one of the biggest highlights of my career, and I got the Olympic 'A' standard."\nA top three finish at the U.S. Olympic Trials will give him a bid to this year's Olympics in Athens. Regardless, he will almost certainly be included in the relay pool for the 4x400 meter relay. \nNeville was not content with one Big Ten title, and stayed loose for the 200 meters against the same competition. He again got out to an early lead and hung on, crossing the line with a second victory in a blazing 20.39 -- also second all-time at IU. \nSophomore All-American Sean Jefferson endured a slow early pace to discover himself boxed inside a pack of slower runners as his main rivals opened a gap ahead. Entering the final straight with 30 meters to make up, Jefferson glanced down at his legs as if to wake them and mounted a furious charge. At the line, Wisconsin's Josh Spiker eased up enough for Jefferson to beat him 4 minutes, 1.86 seconds to 4:01.87 after a 51 second final lap. \n"I don't even think (Spiker) knew I was there," Jefferson said. "I was just hoping there was enough track left for me to catch him."\nNeville and Jefferson weren't the only Hoosiers to turn in impressive performances. Junior All-American Aarik Wilson, the reigning Big Ten champion in both the long and triple jump, took the triple jump by almost a meter and also finished second in the long jump. Each time Wilson took to the air, the crowd issued a smattering of awed groans, as each of his jumps easily outdistanced the field.\nJunior Jake Wiseman supplied another highlight, enduring track and field's most grueling event, the decathlon. Wiseman outlasted nearly all competitors to finish third with 7,365 points, which could qualify him for NCAA's. After 10 events, Wiseman competed individually in the pole vault and javelin, where he placed seventh.\n"I swear I brought 12 pairs of shoes to this meet," said Wiseman, referring to the decathlon's rigors. "I have a bag full of just shoes. Ten events; I don't feel too sore, though."\nNeville, Jefferson, Wilson and Wiseman along with other Hoosier qualifying athletes will return to action at the NCAA Regional at Louisiana State Memorial Day weekend. \n-- Contact staff writer Rob DeWitte at rdewitte@indiana.edu.