Hoosiers have career day at Big Ten-SEC Challenge

It may have been freezing cold outside the fieldhouse, but inside it was red hot.\nThe IU men’s and women’s track teams played host to the inaugural Big Ten-SEC challenge on Saturday. IU represented the Big Ten along with Illinois, Purdue and Ohio State. Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and Vanderbilt ran for the SEC.\nAlthough the SEC won the challenge with a final score of 187 to 156, IU competed well in the meet.\nThe intense competition allowed IU junior Tyler McCreary to come within .32 seconds off his career best, en route to a victory in the mile. McCreary won the race with a time of 4:10.71. \n“I focused on racing and competing,” he said. “I put myself in position and knew I could do it.” \nTennessee runner Axel Mostrag took the early lead in a half-mile split of 2:02, and had a significant lead through much of the early stages of the race. This didn’t faze McCreary, who said he didn’t “freak out,” and ran a controlled and patient race. Mostrag finished in tenth place with a time of 4:19.12.\nWhen IU junior distance runner Wendi Robinson stepped onto the track over two hours later in the 3000-meter run, she had no intention of letting anyone else lead the race. Robinson widened the gap as the race progressed on her way to a career best of 9:28.01. That time not only bettered her previous mark by thirty five seconds, but also was almost six seconds under the NCAA provisional qualifying mark. It was also 1.1 seconds short of the fifth-fastest time in the IU record book. \nAll smiles after the race, Robinson gave many hugs and high fives to her family and friends.\n“It really helped having fans cheering me on,” she said. “Hearing the people as you pass gives you great positive support.”\nFirst-year assistant coach Rebecca Walter, who works with the distance runners, was very pleased with Robinson’s performance, but more so with the way she handled herself.\n“I’m really impressed by her positive attitude,” she said. “We don’t have to motivate her, it’s already there.”\nIn addition to the victories of McCreary and Robinson, the men’s 4x800-meter relay won with a time of 7:43.69. Senior Kyle Jenkins also swept the jumping events with wins in the long jump and triple jump.\nAlthough he didn’t win his event, IU sophomore Chris Sackmann bettered his career best set last week with a time of 8.06 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles. Sackmann’s time puts him in the IU record books with a mark of third all-time in the event. \nHoosiers who set career bests on the women’s side were freshman Lindsey Hartman, sophomores Faith Sherrill and Sarah Pease, juniors Caitlin Lauer, Audrey Smoot and Robinson, and seniors Molly Beckwith and Maura Ratcliff. \nOn the men’s side freshman De’Sean Turner, sophomores Patrick Dalton, Paul Haas and Sackmann, and juniors Kyle Lechlitner and Tim McLeod also set personal records. \nSeveral IU athletes rebounded this week from less than superb performances last week. Among them was senior sprinter Doug Dayhoff. Dayhoff finished seventh last week in the 600-meter run, but came back this week to finish fifth against a much more competitive field in the 400-meter run. IU sophomore pole vaulter and school record holder Vera Neuenswander bettered her fourth place finish last week when she vaulted 3.77 meters. On Saturday, Neuenswander finished third with a vault of 3.92 meters. \nIU coach Ron Helmer was pleased with the way his team competed, despite the added pressure and intensity of such talented athletes present. \n“People stepped up and competed very well in a number of places,” he said.