Hoosiers come home for scored meet

Three weeks of the outdoor season are in the books, and all of the meets so far have taken place on the road for the IU track and field team.

This Friday and Saturday, however, the Hoosiers come home for the Indiana Invitational at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex.

The meet begins at 6 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday.

Freshman Andy Bayer, who qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regional in the 1,500-meter run last weekend in Knoxville, Tenn., said staying in Bloomington will help him mentally prepare.

“I think that it is definitely an advantage,” Bayer said. “It will be nice to be at home, where we can relax and focus on racing,”

This meet will be the second scored event of the outdoor season for IU and will feature Michigan State, Indiana State and Southern Illinois.

IU coach Ron Helmer said while a scored meet generates enthusiasm, it also allows little relaxation for players.

“There is a whole lot of team energy that is created,” Helmer said. “You can’t have these meets all the time though, because then the temptation is to race everyone on your team every weekend when they need rest.”