Hoosiers earn 3 top-25 spots at Big Ten Championships Sunday

In the company of powerhouse teams such as Wisconsin and Michigan, the IU cross country team entered this weekend's Big Ten Championship with senior Marcus Aguilar as its lone returning runner. Composed of mostly freshman and sophomores, the Hoosiers knew they couldn't count on experience, so they fell back on what they know best: patience.\nWhen the race was over, the Hoosiers stood proud with a sixth-place finish.\nAssistant coach Stephen Haas said he was impressed with the pace at which most teams took to the course, including IU.\n"These guys have made big steps all year," Haas said. "I've run three or four races out there, and I've never ever seen it go out that fast. (IU's runners) went out super fast for our course, and I think a lot of our guys paid for it, and they were just dying. A lot of our guys took it more conservatively at the start, and then just started picking guys off."\nJunior Brennon Plotner felt the race went well, but it certainly didn't pan out the way he had anticipated. The pack forced him to switch his strategy as soon as the race took off.\n"You have to shift how you're going to execute the race," he said. "But I went out fast, backed off for a little bit, but it was a little change in how I thought it was going to be."\nPlotner took 53rd place behind Aguilar in 47th, the fourth Hoosier to finish the eight-kilometer race. Aguilar displayed pride in his fellow runners, citing their maturity and ability to run a smart race. The only person he was hard on was himself, saying his conservative attitude cost him a number of spots.\n"I was kind of disappointed in the way I ran. I just didn't know what to expect today," Aguilar said. "I should have moved harder in the third and fourth (kilometers). I just wasn't really sure how exactly I was going to feel. But it's been going really well, and I'm looking to have regionals be my best race. I think it's going to work out really well."\nThe biggest highlight for the Hoosiers came in the form of sophomore Tim McLeod and freshman Jordan Kyle, who earned No. 12 and No. 16, respectively.\nKyle attributed the duo's success to working off of each other, saying their approach was definitely to hold off at the beginning and not go out too fast like so many others.\n"I think I was fifth from last at the beginning, and my big thing was just slowly moving up throughout the race," he said. "That really helped both of us pick people off as the race progressed. We beat some teams that had wins, so that was helpful."\nSophomore Mark Fruin was third to finish for IU, taking the 23rd spot. The Hoosiers' sixth and seventh slots went to freshmen Tyler McCreary (No. 65 overall) and Darryl Stevenson (No. 66). \nHaving two guys in the top 16 was huge for the team, Haas said. Overall, it was a great day, and it will make everyone hold their heads up a little bit, he said.\n"On paper, coming into the meet, we're an eighth-placed team," Haas said. "I think it's good for our group to realize that everything's on track. I wish I was still out there, but it's almost good that some of our older and more experienced guys aren't here so these guys have to learn it for themselves. ... It's paying off now. They've figured out everything"