Drouin, Bayer defend Big Ten titles

Seniors Derek Drouin and Andy Bayer each defended their respective titles at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships in Columbus, Ohio, but it wasn’t enough to bring home a team title for IU.

The IU men’s track and field team finished seventh while the women finished ninth following the weekend action.

Drouin won the outdoor Big Ten title in the high jump for the fourth consecutive year, a clean sweep during his time at IU. He won seven Big Ten titles in the event overall during his career. He is the 14th IU athlete to win seven Big Ten Championships, but is the first to do it all in one event.

Drouin cleared 2.24 meters to win the event Saturday.

Not only did Bayer defend his title in the 1,500-meter Sunday, he also won the 5,000-meter race Sunday. He has won six Big Ten titles during his four-year career. He is just the third IU athlete to ever win both the 5,000-meter and the 1,500-meter Big Ten championship in the same day, joining former IU track stars Bob Kennedy and Jim Spivey. No other school has seen one of their athletes win both events in the same day. It is the first time the feat has been accomplished in 21 years.

Fellow senior Adam Behnke finished seventh in the event, scoring two additional points for the Hoosiers.

Senior Zach Mayhew, the third Hoosier who had a title to defend this weekend, finished second in the 10,000-meter event on Friday, finishing 3.25 seconds behind Wisconsin’s Maverick Darling.

Senior Emma Kimoto won the high jump on the women’s side, clearing 1.77 meters Sunday, helping the Hoosiers to a sweep of the event over the weekend.

Kimoto’s title was the only one for the Hoosier women on the weekend. Junior Mia Mackinnon finished ninth in the event for IU.

The Hoosiers took two of the three podium spots in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. Junior Robby Nierman edged out freshman teammate Joshua Roche, as the two finished second and third in the event. Nierman beat Roche by .09 seconds. Roche secured third by .24 seconds.

In the women’s pole vault, freshman Sydney Clute finished third and fellow freshman Sophie Gutermuth finished seventh to score for the Hoosiers. Senior pole vaulter Scott Houston took fifth in the event on the men’s side.

Junior Kyla Buckley added a fourth-place finish in the shot put, and senior Courtney Woodard finished fourth in the heptathlon to round out the top five finishes for IU.

The Hoosiers will next be in action starting May 23 in the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Greensboro, N.C.

— Robby Howard