Hoosiers stay home for Polytan Invitational

The IU track and field team’s first home meet of the season will take place Saturday when the Hoosiers compete against several schools for the Polytan Invitational at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex.

IU Coach Ron Helmer said he hopes the meet isn’t spoiled by poor weather, which has cut practices short all week, though he also said that’s allowing his athletes to rest more.

“We just need some good weather,” Helmer said. “That’s going to determine how much we get out of this meet. We’re starting to sharpen up, and some good weather will help us build some confidence and get into championship form.”

One athlete who is getting into that top form is IU senior Emma Kimoto. Last weekend at the Border Battle in Louisville, Ky., Kimoto matched her career-best height of 1.81 meters (5-11.25) in the women’s high jump.

That mark is also tied for best in the Big Ten this season, and with Big Ten Championships less than a month away, Kimoto will attempt to pair her 2013 Big Ten Indoor Championship with an outdoor one, as well.

But, Kimoto said she’s trying to stay focused on one meet at a time, and she has her goals for this one.

“I’m really hoping to jump six feet,” Kimoto said. “That would be a really big milestone for me. We’ve been working on some technical stuff, and I’m really excited to see how it pans out because I think it will help me improve a lot.”

Helmer has held back many of his star athletes from performing in their primary events so far this outdoor season, but he’s going to let at least one of them run loose this Saturday. 

IU senior Andy Bayer will run his first 1500-meter of his final outdoor season as a Hoosier.

Bayer is the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Champion in the event, and the Polytan Invitational will be his first performance en route to defending that title.

The Hoosiers only have three more meets before the Championship season begins and Helmer warned that if they aren’t careful, the season could end very quickly.

“It’s a short season,” Helmer said. “The outdoor season goes by so fast, and if you miss a weekend or two because of bad weather, your opportunities to put times on the board are very limited. It just makes every race that much more important.”

The meet comes at about the halfway point of the outdoor season for the Hoosiers, and Helmer took the opportunity to evaluate his team’s progression so far.

“We talked about the fact that we’re really good top to bottom,” Helmer said. “The older kids are fine, as usual, but how competitive we are at the end depends on how fast the younger kids progress. That group just needs to keep coming.

“I like where we are and we should have a chance to cover a lot of events and cover them well.”