IU gives one late push for nationals

With aspirations of sending a few more Hoosiers this Friday into the NCAA Indoor Championships in Texas, the IU track and field squad knew it had to post big numbers during the weekend.

Junior shot putter Monique Riddick did just that.

Riddick moved into 15th on the national list with a heave of 16.66-meters. Although she finished in second place at the Iowa State NCAA Qualifier, Riddick said her heave may have been good enough to get one of the final spots in the shot put at the NCAA Championships.

“I feel confident that I will get in,” Riddick said. “I feel like the underdog now, but I am optimistic.”

Although the NCAA has a mandatory minimum field size of 14 in every event, Riddick might just squeeze in, as the field size typically ranges from 14 to 16 at the NCAA Championships.

The Hoosier squad also got some strong performances at the Iowa State Qualifier from junior Kind Butler, who won the 60 and 200-meter races with times of 6.70 and 20.95, respectively. Sophomore Patrick Onye won the men’s weight throw with a heave of 20.17-meters.

— Christopher Webb
chriwebb@indiana.edu