Hoosiers prepare for Big Ten Championships

The 2013 Big Ten men’s and women’s Track and Field Championships will take place this weekend in Geneva, Ohio. The Hoosier men will look to defend their 2012 title and the women will try to improve on their eighth place finish from last year.

Last year was Hoosiers’ first men’s championship win since 1992.

IU seniors Andy Bayer, the two-time defending 3000-meter runner and one-time defending mile champion, and the high jumpers receive much of the credit.

IU senior Derek Drouin won the titles in 2010 and 2011, but redshirted in 2012.

Fellow senior Darius King stepped up in his absence last year to claim a title of his own.

Bayer said defending his titles don’t add any pressure to his performances this weekend.

“No matter what, going into the Big Ten meet, you know it’s going to be hard,” Bayer said. “I don’t think it’s going to be any easier this year than years past so I try not to look at it as any added pressure.”

Senior Zach Mayhew (3000-meter, 5000-meter), graduate student Scott Houston (pole vault), sophomore Nick Stoner (60-meter) and graduate student Lance Roller (800-meter) are other Hoosiers looking to receive points. All these competitors have top-6 rankings in the conference heading into the championship meet.

“We’re going to have to find ways to score in pretty much every event we have people entered in,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said. “Even if it’s a couple points here and a couple points there to go along with our big point scorers.”

One of the bright spots on the women’s side heading into this weekend is the streak of five years in which the women have brought home a Big Ten individual title.

The best chance to continue this streak likely lies in the throwing arm of junior Kyla Buckley or the legs of senior Kelsey Duerksen and sophomore Samantha Ginther.

Buckley is seeded third on the conference’s shot put list and Ginther and Duerksen sit at second and third in the 3000m.

High jumping senior Emma Kimoto also has a chance to make her mark at conference. She’s seeded seventh this year after finishing as the conference’s runner up in 2012.

Freshman pole vaulters Sydney Clute and Sophie Gutermuth also have a chance to get their names out there.

The two are tied for fifth in conference and are poised to make big strides with their first championship experience.

Helmer said his hopes for the 108th-ranked women’s side are temperate.

“I think if we hit it really hard, I think we can be a middle of the pack team,” Helmer said. “If we can get to the top half of the conference it would be a really great thing.”

Although all the big-name athletes will be out to perform for the Hoosiers, Helmer said success isn’t only measured in points.

“We’ll have some people do things that demonstrate real growth but don’t score points for us,” Helmer said. “But it’s still important for them to do that. It’s hard to predict that.

“What I do know is we have a lot of young athletes who have the opportunity to make some really significant steps forward competing in a championship meet.”