SR Matthew Schwartzer (3:43 1500; 8:01 3K; 14:03 5K; 29:32 10K; 43rd NCAA XC ’14)

JR Jason Crist (4:04 Mile; 8:05 3K; 8:51 3K Steeple; 14:08 5K; 65th NCAA XC ’14)

SR Rorey Hunter (3:40 1500; 13:55 5K; 163rd NCAA XC ’14)

SR Owen Skeete (4:05 Mile; 14:13 5K; 138th NCAA XC ’14)

5th Man Battle:

The Indiana men are coming off of a 15th place NCAA finish last year, and with solid group of returners, this new squad will be in contention to flirt with a top 10 finish in 2015.  Looking at head coach Ron Helmer’s roster, he has about 14 athletes capable of being in his top seven come championship season. On top of that 14 man roster is senior Matthew Schwartzer. Schwartzer finished just outside All-American status last year (43rd), and after a successful year on the track looks to be a top 30 finisher in 2015. Schwartzer will be joined by junior Jason Crist who also had a solid XC finish last year (65th) as a sophomore. Crist, a rising steeplechase runner with 4:04 mile speed will look to stick with Schwartzer in 2015 to give the Hoosiers a formidable 1-2 punch.

 

Two other strong top five runners will be miler Rorey Hunter (3:40 1500m speed) and senior Owen Skeete (3rd returner from last year). Hunter has yet to have a strong XC finish, but after multiple years of experience with the 10K and a 13:55 5K on the track, Hunter should be ready to be the strong No. 3 man. After Schwartzer, Crist, Hunter, and Skeete the 5-7 spots are up for the taking. Carl Smith, who redshirted last year, was 52nd at NCAAs in 2013. Sophomore Jeremy Coughler had a strong track season including a 9:00 steeple and 14:08 5K. Senior Joshua Roche is the fastest steepler on the team with a 8:47 personal best. Junior Mark Chandler and sophomore Eric Claxton had strong track seasons as well. All five of these athletes will more than likely battle it out for the 5-7 spots.

 

However, there are some newcomers who might sneak into the top seven. Ivy League transfer Connor Martin joins Indiana from Princeton. Martin, who dealt with injuries during his first four years at school, has a solid steeple personal best (8:57) and comes in with NCAA Championship experience. Incoming true freshmen Kyle Mau and Bryce Millar are strong recruits for Helmer’s squad as well. Mau out of Ohio has run 4:10/9:00 and Millar from New York was 38th at NXN his senior year. In the end, when you include transfers/freshmen/redshirt returners etc. this Indiana squad is deep and prepared to have a top ten finish in 2015.