Friday, March 8
Boston, Mass.
All Day
Indiana University
at
NCAA Championships
Mercier, DMR Earn Podium Finishes; Phillips Advances to Finals on Day One of NCAA Indoor Championships
3/8/2024 8:45:00 PM | Track and Field
BOSTON, Mass. – Five Hoosiers earned First-Team All-America status after earning a spot on the podium on day one of the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Austin Haskett, Antonio Laidler, Parker Raymond and Camden Marshall finished sixth in the men's Distance Medley Relay to earn First-Team All-American status. They ran the No. 10 fastest time in program history with a time of 9:29.
"I am really proud of the way the guys competed," Associate Track and Field Coach (Distance) Eric Heins said. "We had Austin, who has never run at this meet before, lead us off and that's a lot of pressure for him. I thought he handled it very well and put us in good position getting the stick around somewhere close to eight or tenth (place). It was a great run for Tone (Antonio Laidler). Parker has been dealing with a little bit of a hip injury over the past couple of weeks. He didn't run on the team to qualify, so for him to get here and give us a real strong leg to give it to Cam (Camden Marshall). We thought if Cam could get it near that eighth-place spot, we could kick it in to the scoring position, which he did. Everyone ran well as about as well as we were hoping they could and put it all together at the National meet. That is kind of what you're hoping for."
Marshall and Raymond are three-time All-Americans while Laidler and Haskett earn their first honor.
The Hoosiers earned their 12th top-eight finish dating back to have qualified 14 times dating back to 2009 and have finished in the top-eight 12 times.
Jessica Mercier cleared a height of 4.40m/14-5.25 to place eighth on the podium. She was also named a First Team All-American in her final collegiate competition and is the first indoor All-American pole vaulter since Sydney Clute in 2016.
"This one is bittersweet," Mercier said. "I like the atmosphere, and I love to Pole Vault. But I am a little sad. I know I could have done better. I had a few issues the last two weeks, but I was confident in my ability to make the jumps. We were changing things around, but these were my best jumps I've taken today. I was nervous my first time at Nationals, so I had a different mindset coming in of I can compete with these people. I can be the best. It's just a normal meet. I had some issues keeping a consistent run, so I knew I had to hit it, and I did. That's the worst part is even when you hit it, if the pole is too small, it's too small."
Mercier ended a great season with the indoor school record, Big Ten runner-up, podium finish at the National meet and of course All-American status.
Kenisha Phillips ran a 52.42 to qualify for the 400 Meter finals. She held the seventh fastest time on the day.
Up Next, Phillips will close out the Indoor season for the Hoosiers in the 400 Meter final at 7:20 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
For complete coverage of everything Indiana track and field and cross country, make sure to follow the teams via X, Facebook and Instagram.
#GoIU
Austin Haskett, Antonio Laidler, Parker Raymond and Camden Marshall finished sixth in the men's Distance Medley Relay to earn First-Team All-American status. They ran the No. 10 fastest time in program history with a time of 9:29.
"I am really proud of the way the guys competed," Associate Track and Field Coach (Distance) Eric Heins said. "We had Austin, who has never run at this meet before, lead us off and that's a lot of pressure for him. I thought he handled it very well and put us in good position getting the stick around somewhere close to eight or tenth (place). It was a great run for Tone (Antonio Laidler). Parker has been dealing with a little bit of a hip injury over the past couple of weeks. He didn't run on the team to qualify, so for him to get here and give us a real strong leg to give it to Cam (Camden Marshall). We thought if Cam could get it near that eighth-place spot, we could kick it in to the scoring position, which he did. Everyone ran well as about as well as we were hoping they could and put it all together at the National meet. That is kind of what you're hoping for."
Marshall and Raymond are three-time All-Americans while Laidler and Haskett earn their first honor.
The Hoosiers earned their 12th top-eight finish dating back to have qualified 14 times dating back to 2009 and have finished in the top-eight 12 times.
Jessica Mercier cleared a height of 4.40m/14-5.25 to place eighth on the podium. She was also named a First Team All-American in her final collegiate competition and is the first indoor All-American pole vaulter since Sydney Clute in 2016.
"This one is bittersweet," Mercier said. "I like the atmosphere, and I love to Pole Vault. But I am a little sad. I know I could have done better. I had a few issues the last two weeks, but I was confident in my ability to make the jumps. We were changing things around, but these were my best jumps I've taken today. I was nervous my first time at Nationals, so I had a different mindset coming in of I can compete with these people. I can be the best. It's just a normal meet. I had some issues keeping a consistent run, so I knew I had to hit it, and I did. That's the worst part is even when you hit it, if the pole is too small, it's too small."
Mercier ended a great season with the indoor school record, Big Ten runner-up, podium finish at the National meet and of course All-American status.
Kenisha Phillips ran a 52.42 to qualify for the 400 Meter finals. She held the seventh fastest time on the day.
Up Next, Phillips will close out the Indoor season for the Hoosiers in the 400 Meter final at 7:20 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
| NCAA Indoor Championships: March 8 | |
| Event | Athletes: Mark |
| Pole Vault (W) | 8. Jessica Mercier: 4.40m/14-5.25 |
| 400 Meters (W): Semifinals | 7. Kenisha Phillips: 52.42 |
| DMR (M) | 6. Indiana: 9:29.37 | No. 10 in school history - Austin Haskett, Antonio Laidler, Parker Raymond, Camden Marshall |
For complete coverage of everything Indiana track and field and cross country, make sure to follow the teams via X, Facebook and Instagram.
#GoIU
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Mid-Distance
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Mid-Distance
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