Junior pole vaulter Terry Batemon, senior distance runner Rorey Hunter and sophomore Amanda Behnke all qualified for the national championships.
“It feels really great to be going,” Behnke said. “I really wasn’t expecting to be here when the season started, especially since I’m just a sophomore.”
To qualify for the national championships in the regional round, athletes needed to finish in the top 12 of each of their events. Combining the top 12 from the East and West regions means each championship qualifier placed in the top 24 in the nation.
Behnke finished 12th in the women’s 10K, barely taking the qualifying place.
“When I crossed the finish line, I thought I was 13th, and I was devastated,” Behnke said. “But then my teammates came up to me and said, ‘You did it,’ and then I looked up at the scoreboard and saw my name was 12th.”
In a tactical race, which is a race focused on place rather than fast times, Behnke finished 32 seconds slower than her personal best, as she put up a time of 34:31.86.
“A lot of girls started out fast, so I was in the back at the beginning,” Behnke said. “But I just kept trying to think positive thoughts the whole race, and eventually the girls in front started to slow down, and I started to pass them.”
Hunter also competed in a tactical race, as he placed 11th with a time of 3:45.19, after a sprint to the finish in the men’s 1,500-meter run.
He will compete in his second consecutive national championship in the men’s 1,500-meter run.
Batemon finished tied for first, as he hit 5.25 meters in the final 18 to move on to nationals.
His personal best is 5.36 meters, which sits at 19th in the nation.
For the 800-meter duo of sophomore Tre-tez ?Kinnaird and freshman Daniel Kuhn, the season ended in disappointment, as neither athlete could find his way out of the preliminary round of the weekend, finishing 36th and 29th ?respectively.
IU women’s hammer throw record holder Nakel McClinton also failed to qualify for nationals, as she finished 16th with a throw of 56.38 meters.
Her record is 60.81 ?meters.
Indoor national championship competitor and junior Sophie Gutermuth finished tied for 13th, as she posted a height of 4.08 in the women’s pole vault.
The NCAA Outdoor National Championships will begin June 10 in ?Eugene, Ore.
