Personal bests abound as IU runs in first road meet at Notre Dame

The men’s and women’s track and field squads combined to set 20 personal records at the Meyo Invitational at the University of Notre Dame this weekend.

The number of records is the highest total the Hoosiers have achieved in a single meet this season. IU Coach Ron Helmer said he was thrilled with the performances of his athletes.

“I was very pleased with the performances we got this weekend,” Helmer said. “We should be satisfied with the way this weekend played out.”

Leading the way for the men was junior distance runner Andrew Bayer, who placed second in the 3,000 meters in a time of 7:50.23.

That time automatically qualified Bayer for the NCAA Indoor Tournament, which takes place March 9 and 10 in Boise, Idaho.

Pole vaulter Kelsie Ahbe also had success for the Hoosiers. The junior from Uniontown, Ohio, set the school record in the pole vault, launching to a height of 4.21 meters.

The mark also earned her a first place finish in the event. Individual performances such as those from Bayer and Ahbe gave some support to the team, Helmer said.

While having his team set a number of personal records shouldn’t come as a surprise, Helmer said doing so at this particular meet was.

“In the past, this was a tough weekend,” Helmer said. “Emotionally, it’s a bit difficult to get excited.”

That wasn’t the case for senior distance runner De’Sean Turner, who finished fourth in the 800 meters with a time of 1:49.73. The mark allowed Turner to surpass Jim Spivey for third place in school history in the event.

In the men’s field events, sophomore high jumper Darius King earned a third-place finish in the high jump by clearing 2.13 meters. The mark also pushed King into seventh place in the Big Ten Conference in the event this season.

In the triple jump, senior Olu Olamigoke took first place with a personal record of 15.72 meters.

With the Meyo Invitational being the first road meet of the season, Helmer said he was a bit concerned about the attitude of his team, but that he’s more than happy with his squads at the current moment.

“It’s what I’m enjoying the most right now,” Helmer said. “It’s not always fun or easy, but we just went out there and competed hard.”