Hoosiers Come Up Short at Big Tens

The IU track and field squad had top performances this weekend from its top athletes, though it wasn’t enough as the Hoosiers came up short at the Big Ten Championships.

In West Lafayette, the IU women had one event locked from the beginning, as senior shot putter Faith Sherrill won her second straight Big Ten indoor title with a heave of 17.73-meters, breaking the Big Ten meet record.

Though Sherrill won in her event, it was the lone first-place finish for the Hoosiers, as they finished in fifth place.

“It just got away from us,” said IU coach Ron Helmer, who wasn’t present at the women’s meet. “I hope they competed a little more to squeeze those points in for fifth.”

In Illinois, sophomore Andy Bayer and junior Andrew Poore won Big Ten titles in the 3,000 and 5,000-meters, respectively.

“It was kind of bittersweet,” Bayer said of the win. “It was a good individual win, but it was a bummer coming in second place.”

The IU men also received some great contributions from junior sprinter Kind Butler, who blazed to a Big Ten title in the 60-meters with a time of 6.70 and all-purpose athlete junior Derek Drouin, who took his fourth straight title in the high jump with a clearance of 2.26-meters.