Runners, teams ready for NCAA Championships today

Depending on when you read this, the IU men's cross country team might have finished its season in grand fashion. Scheduled for just after noon today, the No. 10 ranked Hoosiers will compete in the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute. \nLeading the team, as he has all season, is junior All-American Sean Jefferson, who put on a show at the NCAA Regional last Saturday, opening a 50-meter lead halfway into the race before setting his legs on autopilot and cruising in to finish second. \n"A couple of guys started sprinting all out at the end," Jefferson said. "I didn't even bother because I wanted to save my legs for NCAAs."\nBoosting the Hoosiers as the season winds down has been Sean Jefferson's resurgent twin brother John, who finished fifth at the Regional. \n"I just ran in the pack and did what I had to do to," John Jefferson said. "Once I knew the team was in, I stopped worrying."\nThe Jeffersons were reinforced by IU's third runner, senior Tom Burns, who finished 31st, and a welcome improvement from their supporting cast. \nJunior Eric Redman seems to be getting his legs under him just when he needs to. After a season of somewhat frustrating performances, he finished 37th at Regionals.\n"I took a couple of days totally off," Redman said. "I think it helped a lot in getting me to feel like my old self again."\nIU will need Redman back to his old self. The Hoosiers will also need one of two juniors, Stephen Haas and Charlie Koeppen, to step up and have a breakthrough performance. \n"Really, the team's chances rest on how well Haas and Redman run," said assistant coach Chris Ekman. "If they can have a big day, the guys could finish really high."\nLast year, IU finished 12th as a team for its highest finish in decades. Sean Jefferson finished 19th, the Hoosiers' best finish since Bob Kennedy won the meet more than 10 years ago. \n-- Contact staff writer Rob DeWitte at rdewitte@indiana.edu.