Robinson’s 4th-place finish gets NCAA cross country bid

IU’s cross country season came to a premature end this weekend for both the men’s and women’s teams, as they failed to attain at-large bids to advance to Nationals.

“I guess we were one of the first teams out,” IU coach Ron Helmer said. “The good thing is that the women are knockin’ on the door, but the bad is the guys have enough talent for a national team. I’m a little disappointed for the seniors, but as a group, we didn’t do what we needed to do.”

The Hoosier men placed fifth at the Great Lakes Regional in West Lafayette, falling short of their goal to place higher than Notre Dame and Butler. Senior Timothy McLeod ran a consistent race, though, and placed 22nd, with fellow senior Brennon Plotner following closely in his wake at 23rd.

“No one was particularly aggressive,” McLeod said. “We got out well but didn’t run consistently. I think a lot of it was that we never really got back into it after (the) Big Ten (race). But, we’ve got a lot to build off for track, and we’ve started to run better together.”

Rounding out the rest of the Hoosier squad was freshman De’Sean Turner at 32nd and sophomores Cole Hardacre and Ben Hubers, crossing the finish line at 41st and 51st, respectively.

The women placed in the middle of the pack as well, finishing fifth in the regional race.

The Hoosiers were led by junior Wendi Robinson, who placed fourth overall and earned a spot in the NCAA Championships. Sophomore Sarah Pease placed 13th overall, crossing the line at 21:40.2.

“As a team, we were pretty happy,” Robinson said. “The conditions weren’t great; it was muddy and cold. But we didn’t let ourselves be bothered by the things we can’t control.”

Robinson will be the lone Hoosier at the national meet Nov. 24 in Terre Haute and said she hopes to represent IU with pride and excitement.

“The main thing is to rest and recover the best I can,” she said. “I need to go out running a smart race, and stay relaxed and confident. This weekend was a huge confidence setter.”