Feb. 28, 2003
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue men's and women's track and field teams will hit the road for the 2003 Big Ten Indoor Championships on Saturday and Sunday, March 1-2, at the University of Illinois and Indiana University. The men will compete in Champaign, Ill., at the Illinois Armory, while the women will compete in Bloomington, Ind., at the Harry C. Gladstein Fieldhouse.
"We are very excited for the Big Ten meets this weekend," said Purdue head track and field coach Lissa Olson. "On the men's side, we really think that everything we've prepared for this weekend with every meet leading up to this point. The team really has a chemistry about them that is going to allow each of the men to excel and succeed because they continually feed off of each other's enthusiasm. For the women, our athletes have continued to improve every meet this year and in the Big Ten, the projected third- through seventh-place finishers are wide open."
The Boilermaker men head to Champaign and the Illinois Armory with high hopes, as they are one of the top-projected teams to win the Indoor Championship this season. Last year in Minnesota, the men would have finished first or second, had the meet not been cancelled on the second day of competition.
Because of that suspenseful ending to an otherwise very successful season in 2002, the Boilermaker men are even more determined to put together several individual championships along, with the most important trophy of all, the team title. Should the Boilermakers win the team title, it would be the first in the history of Purdue men's track and field.
Expecting to produce well on the weekend are Kenneth Baxter, Jacques Reeves, Joey Harris, Jarod Void and Prentice Stovall in the sprints and hurdles, Baxter and Reeves in the 200m dash, Jamar Green in the long jump, returning All-American Shaun Guice in the high jump, and Hence "Pooh" Williams in the pole vault. Also look for the throwing team of Nedzad Mulabegovic, Scott Hecht, Igor Kirin and Keith McBride to score some big points in the ring, both with the weight throw and the shot put. In the distance events, Kyle Orender and Jon Hoggatt both will look to bump into the top eight scorers in each race.
For the women, Michigan is the defending team champion, while Indiana will look to take the home advantage for the win. Last year, the Boilermaker women finished fourth at the Big Ten Championships and they will look to use their depth in many events to earn points this season.
The pole vaulting team of Amy Spellmeyer, Katie Rorem, Simona Kovacic and Meghan McKenzie will lead the way, while the multi-event athletes should also gather points for the Old Gold and Black. Kim Jordan will attempt to defend her 800m title and Angela Anoliefoh will be a strong point for Purdue in the high jump and pentathlon, along with Jan Eichenauer in the long jump and pentathlon. The 4x400 relay team continues to improve every meet and has always performed at a high level at the Big Ten meet.
The meets start at 9 a.m. each day with the throwing events, while the running and field events will begin at 10 a.m.
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