9 IU track and field athletes head to NCAA Outdoor Championships

After strong indoor and outdoor seasons and two Great Lakes Region Athletes of the Year, national championship time has come for IU track and field.

Nine athletes head to Eugene, Ore., to represent the Hoosiers in the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships June 9-12.

“We always want more, but the nine that are going, they all can be players at the national level,” IU coach Ron Helmer said. “The nine who got through are all capable of performing at a very high level once they get there, and that’s the positive piece.”

Leading the nine Hoosiers into Eugene are the Great Lakes Region honorees, sophomore Derek Drouin and senior Molly Beckwith.

Drouin, who qualified for the NCAA championships as a freshman in 2009, claimed the indoor national and outdoor Big Ten titles in the high jump.

Beckwith, who will close out her career at IU at the Outdoor Championships, charges in after winning her East Prelim quarterfinal heat in the 800-meter event with a time of 2:03.02.

The senior said she is the most ready that she has ever felt.

“I think going into last year, my goal was just to make it as far as I could, but this year it’s past that,” Beckwith said. “It’s almost getting to the national championship and placing in the top three or four would be my goal.

“I don’t really have many expectations for myself because that puts limitations on things, and I don’t want any limitations going into this meet.”

The seven other Hoosiers competing in the national championship meet are Kelsie Ahbe, Faith Sherrill, Sarah Pease, Jeff Coover, Andrew Poore, Ben Hubers and De’Sean Turner.

Eight of the nine national finalists have earned All-America honors as well.
Turner might have gained momentum heading into nationals by winning his 3,000-meter steeplechase heat with a time of 8:47.22.

“Going in there and winning my heat, it’s a confidence booster,” Turner said. “Knowing some of the guys that are going to be in the meet, it makes me feel pretty good about the race. I’m 13th going in right now, so I think all I have to do is beat one of those guys and I’m in the final. I think I’m capable of doing that.

“I’d say I’m pretty ready. We’ve been doing some pretty solid stuff this season. All the races and all the workouts have really set me up nicely for Big Ten (Championships), regionals and, hopefully, nationals.”

Taking nine athletes to the Outdoor Championships is not quite where Helmer wants his program to eventually arrive, but he sees it as a nice stepping stone to what IU track and field can be in the coming years.

“Our goal when we started here three years ago was to get to the point where we could contend for Big Ten championships ... and to be a consistent top-10 team at the national level,” he said. “We got there with the men indoors and need to get there with the women and sustain it through indoor and outdoor and cross-country, and I think we’re really, really close. These kids give us a chance to do that.”