Indiana’s track teams are poised for a title at this weekend’s Big Ten Championships

Indiana’s track runners are fast -- but how fast?

As the Big Ten Championships near, Indiana’s men’s and women’s track and field teams continue to surge in the national ranks. According to U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) polls, the men’s team is currently ranked 10^th in the country while the women are 16^th.

Indiana’s men are rising in the ranks behind the dominant performance of their distance teams who rank in the top ten nationally in the 800m, 5,000m, 3k, mile and the distance medley relay.

Junior Daniel Kuhn has been setting the pace, as his Forrest Gump-like performance in the 800m ranks him at third in the country. Just like Gump, Kuhn is a two-sport athlete as well. Kuhn nearly played baseball at Trine instead of running track at Indiana, and his recent performances indicate he probably made the right decision.

As for the women, the distance squad has been leading the way as well. The distance medley relay team consisting of Brenna Calder, Taylor Williams, Olivia Hippensteel and Katherine Receveur set a new school record and come into the championships as the favorite in the event.

Indiana’s men and women enter the Big Ten Championships as budding powerhouses and two of the Big Ten’s best. In a season full of unpredictable athletic performances from certain Indiana programs, the track teams have been a pleasant surprise.

The Big Ten Championships will transpire this weekend in Geneva, Ohio.