Hoosierland takes on Commonwealth in Border Battle

When IU laces up its track shoes this Saturday in Louisville, Ky., the team will be competing for the whole state of Indiana.

In the annual Border Battle, IU and Notre Dame will match up against Kentucky and Louisville as “Hoosierland” and “The Commonwealth.”

Hoosierland will look to make it three consecutive years of victory in both the men’s and women’s competitions.

“It’s been a really good meet for us in the past,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said. “We use it to get work done and see who runs multiple events really well. If we get some decent weather we’ll have some really good performances.”

After the Commonwealth won the inaugural Border Battle in 2010, Hoosierland has won the last two meets. Last year the IU men won 113-84 while the women squeaked out a 101.5-100.5 victory.

One athlete who has been around since the beginning of this meet is IU senior Chris Vaughn. He expects to run the 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relays along with either the 200-meter or 400-meter run.

Last week at the Pepsi Florida Relays, Vaughn’s 4x400-meter relay raced to the second fastest time in the Big Ten this year and he said they can do even better this week. He also said this will be the first really good shot they’ve had at a 4x100-meter relay.

“I think we’re going to be fine,” Vaughn said. “Notre Dame has some pretty good guys, and on a competitive level I think it’s going to be great. I think we’re going to go out and get it.”

Another IU athlete competing in Louisville is junior shotput thrower Kyla Buckley. She’ll look to continue her recent hot streak against very good competition, particularly the Louisville throwers.

She faced off with them in the indoor season at the Gladstein Invitational. Louisville’s Khadija Abdullah took the win with her teammate Amashi-Ali Kendall placing second. Buckley wound up third with a throw of 16.02 meters, a mark she’s been beating lately.

The outdoor season just started a few weeks ago, but already Big Ten Outdoor Championships are just a month away. Vaughn said while these meets are fun and it’s always nice to win against their neighboring state, he and the rest of the team are focused more on the big picture.

“Nobody likes to lose, but we have to remember this is just a stepping stone for us,” Vaughn said. “That being said, it’s still important for us to do well here so that we can perform better in the big picture.”