Indiana track and field traveled to the sunshine state this weekend to compete in the Pepsi Florida Relays hosted by the University of Florida. Field athletes in the pole vault, jumps, and throwing events made their outdoor season debuts in Gainesville, Florida and for the first time this season, the Hoosiers will have had a full squad at a relay.
Indiana opened the meet in the men’s 4x800 relay, and the “A” relay team placed fourth with a season-best 7:27.35 seconds.
Sophomore Camden Marshall set an early season NCAA best in the 1,500 meters race with a personal best time of 3:39.51 seconds. In the women’s 1,500 meters race graduate student Maddie Dalton had a personal best time of 4:18.26 seconds, best for seventh place.
The Hoosiers continue their strong indoor season in the field events, opening the weekend on Friday with freshman Alex Smith in the long jump. Smith had a personal best of 7.42 meters and took home the top spot. In the women’s long jump, senior Hope Purcell placed ninth with a jump of 5.67 meters.
Closing out the first day of the competition, sophomore Sean Mockler finished fifth place in the hammer throw with a distance of 66.15 meters.
Opening the final day of competition on Saturday, junior Noah Koch threw 55.70 meters in the discus event, placing fourth. In his second event of the day, Koch took seventh place in shot put with a distance of 18.04 meters.
The Hoosiers had the pole vaulters in the top seven of the competition. Senior Nathan Stone placed second with a height of 5.28 meters. Sophomore Tyler Carrel placed sixth with a height of 5.13 meters, and freshman Riley Johnston took seventh with a height of 4.98 meters.
In the women’s high jump, junior Mahogany Jenkins placed second with a height of 1.75 meters. In the men’s triple jump graduate student, Robert Blue placed fourth with a distance of 15.18 meters.
The Hoosiers closed out the meet in the men’s and women’s 4x400 meter relays. The women’s “A” team ran a time of 3:51.72 seconds and placed third in the meet. The men’s team placed seventh with a time of 3:18.67 seconds.
The Hoosiers travel back home and begin to prepare for their upcoming meets. The Hoosiers will split the upcoming weekend, sending athletes to the Triton Invitational in San Diego, California and the Tennessee Relays hosted by the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Both events will open on Friday, April seventh, and finish on Saturday, April eighth.
