Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships Breakdown

Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships Breakdown

5/10/2023 10:00:00 AM | Track and Field

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The track and field postseason begins Friday night in Bloomington with the start of the three-day Big Ten Outdoor Championships.

From there, athletes will progress to the NCAA East Preliminary round in Jacksonville (May 24-27) and the NCAA Outdoor Championships (June 7-10) in Austin.

IU has enjoyed a successful outdoor season which has featured two school records (women's discus and men's 100 meters) and a number of strong performances leading into the postseason this weekend.

BACK IN BLOOMINGTON
The Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex will play host to the Big Ten Outdoor Championships for the seventh time this weekend.

IU has previously hosted in 1966, 1970, 1977, 2001, 2010 and 2018. The Hoosiers also hosted the NCAA East Preliminary round in 2011 and 2022.

Six championship records remain from 2018, the last time the conference meet was held in Bloomington, including the men's 800 meters (1:45.31).

BIG TEN RANKS
The following athletes are ranked inside the top-10 of their respective events in the conference heading into this weekend's Big Ten Championships. Several athletes, including Hope Purcell in the heptathlon, have yet to contest their primary event this year.

Men:
Antonio Laidler
- 100m (5th)
Christopher Grant
- 100m (8th)
Camden Marshall
- 800m (2nd), 1500m (3rd)
Dustin Horter
- 1500m (9th)
Jake Gebhardt
- 3000mS (6th), 5000m (4th)
Indiana
- 4x100 (5th), 4x400 (9th)
Grayson Rolen
- High Jump (3rd)
Tyler Carrel
- Pole Vault (2nd)
Nathan Stone
- Pole Vault (4th)
Riley Johnston
- Pole Vault (7th)
Robert Blue
- Triple Jump (7th)
Noah Koch
- Discus (8th)
Sean Mockler
- Hammer (7th)

Women:
Alyssa Robinson
- 100m (7th)
Maddie Dalton
- 1500m (10th)
Sarah Schmitt
- 5000m (5th)
Claire Overfelt
- 10,000m (7th)
Alyssa Skorge
- 3000mS (8th)
Indiana
- 4x100 (8th), 4x400 (10th)
Mahogany Jenkins
- High Jump (2nd), Triple Jump (6th)
Jessica Mercier
- Pole Vault (4th)
Paola Fernandez-Sola
- Long Jump (2nd)
Serena Bolden
- Long Jump (3rd), Triple Jump (9th)
Jayden Ulrich
- Shot Put (4th), Discus (2nd)
Makayla Hunter
- Javelin (5th)

EVENTS TO WATCH
There will be 21 events contested on both the men's and women's side for 42 total events over the three days in Bloomington. Each day will feature a multitude of hotly contested events with the conference's best athletes.

Friday
Men's Pole Vault
One of IU's deepest event groups will get started right away on Friday afternoon as one of the first events to be contested. The Hoosiers have three athletes that rank in the top-seven in the conference including Tyler Carrel (No. 2), Nathan Stone (No. 4) and Riley Johnston (No. 7).

Stone is the two-time defending outdoor champion in the event and will go for his second Big Ten double in the event after winning indoors in February. Carrel vaulted a massive personal best of 5.54m/18-2 just last week and is in the form of his life heading into championship season. Johnston will be a threat to score and holds a season's best jump of 5.15m/16-10.75.

Saturday
Women's Long Jump
Perhaps IU's best overall event on the women's side will get underway on Saturday evening on what has proven to be one of the conference's runways.

IU holds the No. 2 (Paola Fernandez-Sola) and No. 3 (Serena Bolden) marks in the Big Ten this season during a productive month of April and will look to parlay that into a first Big Ten long jump title outdoors since 2007.

Fernandez-Sola was the runner-up indoors in the Big Ten and went on to finish ninth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March.

Sunday
Men's 800 Meters (Finals)
Always a competitive event, talent will be on center stage Sunday afternoon in the men's 800 meters.

The 2018 edition of the Big Ten Outdoor Championships in Bloomington produced one of the all-time races in the event which featured two Hoosiers running under the old meet record to finish second and third.

Camden Marshall, Keefer Soehngen and Parker Raymond make up the field of runners that will face fierce competition from Penn State and Wisconsin athletes. Marshall holds the No. 2 time in the Big Ten at 1:47.24 which is fifth in program history.

INDIANA BIG TEN HISTORY
The Hoosiers have won 14 outdoor conference titles between the men's and women's teams with the latest coming from the women in 2001.

In total, IU athletes have 313 event titles outdoors at the Big Ten Championships with the women taking 77 (first one in 1982) and the men winning 236 (first in 1926).

The most men's event titles outdoors have come in the long jump with 16 while the women have won a program-best 12 titles in the shot put.

CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD NOTES
There are five outdoor championship records held by the Hoosiers including Derek Drouin's resounding 2.31-meter high jump in 2012. At the 2018 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, held in Bloomington, there were six championship records set that still stand today.

Championship Records Held by Indiana
Women
Pole Vault: Sydney Clute, 2017 (4.43m)

Men
1500 meters: Jim Spivey, 1980 (3:38.56)
400 hurdles: Jon Thomas, 1985 (48.95)
High Jump: Derek Drouin, 2012 (2.31m)
Triple Jump: Greg Yeldell, 2000 (16.18m)

Records Set in Bloomington
Women
4x400 relay: Purdue, 2018 (3:28.98)
Heptathlon: Georgia Ellenwood, Wisconsin, 2018 (6173 Points)
Long Jump: Janisha Thomas, Iowa, 2018 (6.55m)

Men
800 meters: Isaiah Harris, Penn State, 2018 (1:45.31)
Hammer Throw: Rudy Winkler, Rutgers, 2018 (73.85m)
4x100 relay: Ohio State, 2018 (38.93)

POLE VAULT POTENTIAL
A win in the pole vault for Nathan Stone would mark three-straight Big Ten outdoor titles for the Indianapolis native. Only three Hoosier men have won three, or four, consecutive titles in the same event since 2000.

Since 2000
4-straight Big Ten titles
Aarik Wilson: Triple Jump (2002-05)

3-straight Big Ten titles
Kiwan Lawson: Long Jump (2007-09)
David Neville: 400 Meters (2004-06)

Nathan Notes
If Nathan Stone were to win the Big Ten outdoor pole vault title in 2023, it would be...

• the 16th outdoor pole vault title in program history, matching the most in a single event at IU
• the first Hoosier to win five total pole vault Big Ten titles
• the first Big Ten man to win three-straight outdoor, outright pole vault titles
• IU's fourth-straight pole vault outdoor title (also done in 1979-1982)

WOMEN'S FIELD SUCCESS
The Hoosiers have won at least one field event at nine of the previous 12 contested Big Ten Outdoor Championships. On three occasions (2011, 2016 and 2019) IU has won multiple titles in the field events.

Women's Big Ten Outdoor Field Event Titles
Since 2010
2022: Discus
2021: Triple Jump
2020: No Championships Contested
2019: Shot Put, Triple Jump, Pole Vault
2018: N/A
2017: Pole Vault
2016: Pole Vault, Hammer
2015: N/A
2014: Shot Put
2013: High Jump
2012: N/A
2011: Pole Vault, Shot Put
2010: Shot Put

BREAKING STREAKS
In 2022, Jayden Ulrich broke a 30-year streak between Big Ten discus titles. Indoors in 2023, Hope Purcell broke a 33-year gap between Big Ten pentathlon titles.

Below is a list of events that have escaped the Hoosiers for at least nine years that could be won this year in Bloomington.

Event Title Streaks
Women
Heptathlon
• Last Title: 1984
• Contenders: Hope Purcell

Long Jump
• Last Title: 2007
• Contenders: Paola Fernandez-Sola, Serena Bolden

1500 Meters
• Last Title: 1986
• Contenders: Maddie Dalton, Jenna Barker

Men
100 Meters
• Last Title: 2001
• Contenders: Antonio Laidler, Christopher Grant

Discus
• Last Title: 1993
• Contenders: Noah Koch

1500 Meters
• Last Title: 2014
• Contenders: Dustin Horter

HELMER SWAN SONG
This will be the final Big Ten meet in the coaching career of Ron Helmer. Between cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field, Helmer has coached the Hoosiers in 47 Big Ten Championship meets.

The 2020 Big Ten Outdoor Championship meet, due to COVID-19, was the only meet not contested in his 16-year tenure.

During his run as Cross Country and Track and Field Head Coach, the Hoosiers have won 97 Big Ten event titles including 41 outdoors.

He has coached women to titles in the 800 meters, 5000 meters and 10,000 meters. On the men's side outdoors, the Hoosiers have won two titles in the 3000-meter steeplechase (2010, 2011), three titles in the 5000 meters (2010, 2013, 2019), four titles in the 1500 meters (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) and one title in the 10,000 meters (2021) under Helmer.

Helmer also coached Andy Bayer to IU's first NCAA title in the 1500 meters with an epic, come from behind victory at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

BIG TEN OUTDOOR DEBUTS
Seven freshmen athletes will compete at their first Big Ten outdoor meet this week for Indiana. Six more athletes will also make their Big Ten debuts but have competed in a conference outdoor meet at their previous institution.

Freshmen Debut Athletes
Claire Overfelt: 10,000m
John Colquitt: 400mH, 4x100
Abe Eckman: 5000m
Keefer Soehngen: 800m
Alex Smith: Long Jump
Nico Colchico: 800m
Taylor Schoonveld: High Jump