Hoosiers flourish at Indiana Relays

IU Track and Field had another weekend of breakout performances at Gladstein Fieldhouse as the Hoosiers set 46 indoor personal records. IU played host to the Indiana Relays, 25 collegiate teams and more than 1,200 athletes last weekend.

Going into the meet, IU Coach Ron Helmer said half the battle for his young team was competing regardless of the environment. On Saturday, surrounded by competition from across the nation, more than half the Hoosiers competed to earn an indoor personal-best mark.

Redshirt sophomore Sarah Maxson led the way for IU. Her 1.78 meter clearance was a lifetime best, and a five-centimeter improvement from her indoor personal record.

According to Maxson, it was a height she had never jumped in practice.

Maxson came into the Indiana Relays one centimeter out of first in the Big Ten. Now, she sits atop the conference leader boards with the 21st best mark in the NCAA and fourth best mark in school history.

“Jumping this high this early in the season is something that’s so out of character since I’ve been here,” Maxson said. “It’s kind of like a whole new me.”

A pair of IU pole-vaulters followed Maxson’s performance with its own set of program-best marks. For the men, Drew Volz cleared 5.25 meters to secure the ninth best vault in school history. Sophie Gutermuth, his counterpart, cleared 4.05 meters for fourth best all-time.

In the track events, redshirt junior J.R. Ricker ran a personal-best in the five-kilometer run to win the Indiana Relays. Paced by IU alum Andrew Poore, Ricker danced past the field in thE first 400 meters and never looked back the rest of the way.

“To be honest, I didn’t have to do any work for the first 2 1/2,” he said. “I felt like I was out for a jog.”

Ricker closed out the final 1K on his own, and crossed the finish at 14 minutes and 7.55 seconds. His 5K time is the best this year in the Big Ten conference, and qualifies for third best in the NCAA.

Senior Erica Ridderman also holds the conference-best time in the women’s 5K. She completed the 25-lap race in 16 minutes and 57.39 seconds, just ahead of teammate Amanda Behnke, who finished with a personal-best time of 16 minutes and 59.33 seconds. 

Coach Helmer said he felt encouraged by several newcomers who stepped up to the plate this weekend.

”For every place where there was a little frustration, we had a place where we saw a spark,” he said.

The Hoosiers began implementing a lighter practice schedule the week leading into the Indiana Relays. Although Helmer said it will take time for his team to feel the full effects of rest, he admits that it can have a strong psychological effect on athlete performance.

“I’ve been beating them up for six months,” he said. “At some point in time, you just have to start racing.”

Follow reporter Tori Ziege on Twitter @ToriZiege.