Big Ten Indoor Track and Field: 5 Events to Watch

BIG TEN EVENT BREAKDOWN
The conference's best talent will be on display at Spire Institute over the weekend to battle for a Big Ten Championship across 18 events on both the men's and women's sides.

Indiana, aided by 43 athletes making the trip to Geneva, Ohio, will contest 33 of the 36 events. The Big Ten, unlike the NCAA, sponsors the 600 meters as one of its events at the conference meet.

There are expected to be a number of closely contested events across the weekend with very little separating some of the top athletes.

Here are five events to watch this weekend at the Big Ten Indoor Championships.

Women's Long Jump | Friday, 5:30 PM (Trials and Finals)
Indiana Athletes:
2. Paola Fernandez-Sola (6.39m), 6. Hope Purcell (6.09m), 6. Serena Bolden (6.09m)

Preview: One of IU's deepest event groups is scheduled to have three athletes contest the Long Jump on Friday evening. Paola Fernandez-Sola has been a mainstay at the top of the Big Ten descending order list since her massive jump of 6.39m/20-11.75 at the Texas Tech Open in late January.

Hope Purcell and Serena Bolden have identical season-best marks of 6.09m/19-11.75, recorded at the Texas Tech Open and Hoosier Open respectively.

The Big Ten features a wide array of jumpers this year with 10 athletes out past the six-meter mark during the indoor campaign. Nebraska's Lishanna Ilves leads the conference with her mark at 6.48m/21-3.25.

Purcell is also entered to compete in the Pentathlon this weekend and the open High Jump, allowing her the potential to compete in seven events across the two-day span.

This has the potential to be one of the most competitive events the entire weekend with a handful of Hoosiers expected to score points in the team race.

Men's Pole Vault | Friday, 11:30 AM
Indiana Athletes:
2. Nathan Stone (5.40m), 8. Tyler Carrel (5.15m), 9. Riley Johnston (5.14m)

Preview: The Hoosiers feature a trio of vaulters expected to make some noise in the opening event of the competition on Friday morning.

Nathan Stone, three times a Big Ten Champion in the event, owns the second-best mark in the conference with his clearance at 5.40m/17-8.5 at the Hoosier Open. His counterparts, Tyler Carrel and Riley Johnston, have cleared at 5.15/16-10.75 and 5.14m/16-10.25 respectively over the last month.

A highly competitive event has seen 13 vaulters in the conference clear five meters or better this year with Michigan State's Trevor Stephenson leading the way at 5.55m/18-2.5.

This is an event where multiple Hoosiers could score and could produce a Big Ten Champion as Stone looks to claim the indoor crown for the first time since 2021.

Men's 800 Meters | Friday, 2:45 PM (Prelims); Saturday, 2:20 PM (Finals)
Indiana Athletes:
10. Camden Marshall (1:48.83), 11. Keefer Soehngen (1:49.47), 22. Nick Couyoumjian (1:51.69)

Preview: The lone returning Big Ten Champion for IU, Camden Marshall, will look to win back-to-back titles at 800 meters when he toes the line this weekend.

During his freshman campaign last season, Marshall used a big kick in the final 50 meters to chase down the pack and win the Big Ten title.

He will face stiff competition this weekend in a conference that has seen 10 runners break 1:49 this season. A strong contingent of Penn State runners will feature in the race. The current Big Ten leader, Handal Roban of Penn State, has run 1:47.01 this season.

Keefer Soehngen, a freshman out of Fishers, Ind., has come on late for the Hoosiers running 1:49.47 at the Alex Wilson Invitational this last weekend.

He and Marshall could be threats to make Saturday's final and score points in the team race for IU.

Women's Shot Put | Saturday, 3:15 PM (Trials and Finals)
Indiana Athletes:
4. Jayden Ulrich (17.53m/57-6.25), 10. Makayla Hunter (16.22m/53-2.75)

Preview: This is perhaps the best event on either side of the conference this season. Six athletes in the Big Ten sit in the top-20 nationally in the event with five currently slated to make the cut for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

IU's Jayden Ulrich has produced a strong season thus far with a season-best mark of 17.53m/57-6.25. She ranks fourth in the conference through the regular season behind Nebraska's Axelina Johansson, Wisconsin's Josie Schaefer and Ohio State's Adelaide Aquilla.

The Hoosiers also feature another sophomore in Makayla Hunter who has thrown 16.22m/53-2.75 this season. IU could very well see two point-scorers in the event on Saturday evening.

Women's 3000 Meters | Saturday, 4:35 PM (Finals)
Indiana Athletes:
6. Sarah Schmitt (9:16.18), 10. Jenna Barker (9:21.46), 15. Maddie Dalton (9:26.18), 25. Phoebe Bates (9:3.49), 31. Alyssa Skorge (9:39.84)

Preview: The final event of the competition before the 4x400 relay always produces an interesting race. IU is schedule to run five athletes including Sarah Schmitt and Jenna Barker who both sit in the top-10 in the conference in the event.
The top four times in the conference this season were all run at the David Valentine Invitational in Boston with Alexandra Carlson of Rutgers producing the Big Ten-leading mark of 8:56.15.

Expect to see a very competitive race on Saturday evening. With team implications potentially on the line, coaches will throw anyone in the event to try and score points. IU holds the potential to score some points behind the trio of graduate students in Dalton, Barker and Schmitt.

Indiana University Athletics

Big Ten Indoor Track and Field: 5 Events to Watch

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Players Mentioned

Jenna Barker

Phoebe Bates

Serena Bolden

Tyler Carrel

Nick Couyoumjian

Maddie Dalton

Paola Fernandez-Sola

Makayla Hunter

Riley Johnston

Camden Marshall

Hope Purcell

Sarah Schmitt

Alyssa Skorge

Keefer Soehngen

Nathan Stone

Jayden Ulrich

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