Helmer and Hoosiers Ready for 2015

By: Sam Beishuizen | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com

Indiana head coach Ron Helmer has been around for more than 40 "first days of practice" over the course of his coaching career.

But the magic of the first day still hasn't left.

Helmer's next chapter in coaching began Tuesday as the Hoosier men's and women's cross country teams opened practice. After addressing his teams, Helmer said he still feels the spark and energy surrounding another new beginning.

"When it's not there, they'll have the first day and I just won't be here," Helmer said. "The chance to come in, have the first meeting. See the new ones. See how excited they are. See the older ones. See who's done their work. See who's excited about being back. If that doesn't get you excited, you probably need to be done. And I'm not ready to do that yet."

The runners joined Helmer in welcoming a new season.

The first practices are predominantly meant to readjust to working with the team and welcoming new freshmen into the mix. Helmer has five new men and five new women joining the team that he said each have the potential to impact the team in the near future.

Redshirt junior Jason Crist is likely to be an anchor once again on a men's team coming off a 15th place team finish in the NCAA's last season. He said running with his teammates again is "rejuvenating" and about 15 times easier than running alone.

Despite being among the best in the country, Crist said the Hoosiers were disappointed in their showing in the NCAA's last year, which Helmer said is a good sign of things to come.
Helmer added that he envisions only two runners for sure cracking his starting lineups with the other positions up for the taking among a group he called one of his most competitive.

"I think last year gives us motivation and confidence at the same time," Crist said. "We know that we can do a whole lot better than 15th. We have a lot of confidence going forward, but we definitely think we can be a lot better team than last year, but that all begins today."

While the men will look to continue to be among the nation's best, the women are looking to establish themselves near the top after falling just shy of qualifying for the NCAA's last season.
Helmer said he put added emphasis on rebuilding the women's program last season and expects even more growth from them this year. Like the men, he said the women have depth up and down the lineup and expects them to continue to grow as a program.

"We're hungry because we know we're so close to getting (to the NCAA's)," redshirt junior Amanda Behnke said. "We know we have the talent. We have the ability to do it. It's not that that portion isn't there. Things just need to fall into place. Last year gives us the hope that this is the year to do it."

Helmer said it will take him a week or two to get a better idea of just where his teams stand in terms of meet readiness.

Some athletes come in fresher than others and perform well early before falling off after they get tired. Others have already gotten used to the grind of pushing themselves every day and are more consistent.

It's a balance he and his coaching staff need to measure early and often as the Hoosiers move forward into the season. But with day one in the books, every day is a chance to get closer to where he needs his runners to be.

"It's always nice to get the first day out of the way," Helmer said. "We're back to work now, and I like the team we have and the commitment we have going forward."

Indiana University Athletics

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Amanda Behnke

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