IU plays host to weekend Regionals

The injury bug dealt the men's cross country team a tough hand this week. \nAfter showing steady improvement and growing team cohesion, two key runners were diagnosed with season-ending injuries. Senior All-American John Jefferson, who has been plagued by injuries throughout his cross country career and freshman Tim McLeod, who put up promising performances early in the season, have both incurred stress fractures. Neither will compete Saturday on IU's home course in the Great Lakes Regional, the final meet prior to the NCAA Championships.\n"Tim found out he was hurt the week before Big Tens," sophomore Charlie Keating said. "John didn't know until the day of the meet."\nWhile the squad remains optimistic about its chances of advancing to the NCAA Championships at Saturday's Great Lakes Regional, the losses of Jefferson and McLeod make IU less formidable, volunteer assistant coach Nathan Gooden said.\n"We've definitely dropped a cylinder without those guys," he said. "We need the other guys to step up and provide that extra horsepower to help us qualify."\nTo pick up the slack, IU will rely on seniors Charlie Koeppen and Eric Redman. \n"We're focusing on doing whatever it takes to get to NCAAs," said Jefferson. "We probably have to finish in the top five or six for the team to qualify."\nThere are two ways to qualify for the NCAA Championships. One is to finish first or second at the regional meet. The other is to earn an at-large bid. The Great Lakes Regional typically sends a large number of teams to the meet on an at-large basis.\n"We need a solid performance to solidify our NCAA bid," said Gooden. "If these guys compete and run to their abilities, we won't have to worry about how any other team performs."\nIf IU fails to qualify as a team, individuals can still qualify for the meet based either on their placing at Regionals or by selection on an at-large basis. Jefferson said having the meet at home will tremendously help the Hoosiers battling for these spots. \n"Having the meet at home is a huge advantage," said Jefferson. "We run on that course all the time, so we know it better than anyone else in the country."\nWhether the Hoosiers qualify as a team or as individuals, qualifiers will compete just nine days later Nov. 21 at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute.