Sloppy weather slows NCAA competition

The men's cross country team finished its season one week ago at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute. The team finished 18th overall, the third straight top 25 finish for the Hoosiers. IU placed 12th last year. \nOvernight rain left the 10,000-meter course soft and soggy, leaving IU's strategy ineffective in a crowded competitive race. It was eventually won individually by Wisconsin's Simon Bairu in 30 minutes and 37 seconds. Wisconsin narrowly lost the team title by four points to Colorado. \nJunior Sean Jefferson was IU's top finisher in 34th with a time of 31:45. Jefferson earned his second consecutive All-America honor -- the first Hoosier to do so since Bob Kennedy over a decade ago. \nThe soggy conditions and overwhelming number of runners in the race prevented junior All-American John Jefferson from tracking his brother over the final 4,000 meters -- leaving him to finish roughly a minute back as IU's second finisher. John Jefferson finished 92nd. \nJunior Stephen Haas came in third for IU, followed by senior Tom Burns in his final collegiate cross country race. Junior Eric Redman rounded out IU's top five. Juniors Charlie Koeppen and Billy Coale also competed.\nIU will soon dive headfirst into the indoor track and field season, with its first meet scheduled for just over a month from now in the Hoosier Open in Bloomington.