IU dominates Hoosier Open in 1st meet of new season

When the announcer read the accomplishments of the runners in the men’s 5K at the IU track and field team’s Hoosier Open on Dec. 7, it was clear why the race had been so hyped throughout the week.

The event included an All-Big 12 athlete, a former Ivy League cross country champion, the defending ACC champion in the 1500m and the Big Ten cross country champion in IU senior Zach Mayhew, among others.

Mayhew finished second in the event with a time of 13:51.79. The event’s finishers posted the six fastest times in the nation this year.

“I’ve been kind of racking my brain all week worrying about this race, because I knew there was some really good guys,” Mayhew said.

For most of the race, Mayhew hung back in sixth place behind two exhibition runners pacing for the field and three other runners.

After the pacers dropped out, Mayhew made a move up to third. On the final turn of the race, Mayhew found a burst of speed to pass Texas junior Ryan Dohner.

“He was just hanging on and trying to stay close enough so when he reached down he might have a shot at beating somebody,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said.

Other notable Hoosier performances came from freshman Cornelius Strickland, sophomore Brie Roller, senior Courtney Woodard and junior Derek Drouin.
Strickland, in his first ever college meet, clocked the 10th-fastest 60m dash time in IU history at 6.87 seconds.

Roller competed in the women’s 500m dash and never trailed. She finished with a time of 1:14.89 on her way to the victory.

Roller also found herself in the middle of one of the more exciting races of the night: the women’s 4x400m relay.

When Bellarmine University passed freshman anchor Maggie Bell on her first lap of the final leg of the relay, it looked like the Knights would come away victorious. But Bell had other thoughts as she moved into first on the final straightaway.

“I knew Maggie was strong enough to stay right behind her and kick it in at the end,” Roller said. “I even ran the last 50 meters with her just to be sure.”

Woodard and Drouin highlighted day two of competition by each winning the pentathlon.

Woodard scored 3,660 points while winning four of the five events. Drouin finished with 4,009 points, 394 ahead of second place.

The Hoosiers will continue to train over winter break as they prepare for their next meet: a Jan. 12 dual meet in Bloomington against Purdue.

Helmer said that while he thinks his team is talented enough to compete now, the intangibles are what really could set this team apart.

“We’re talented enough,” Helmer said. “But when you take enough talent and mix it with competitive spirit, you get a chance to go forward with a high-level competitor, and that’s what I saw.”