April 12, 2003
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Purdue wrapped up its two day trip at the Sea Ray Relays Saturday earning victories in the men's hammer throw and the men's 4x100 relay. The five-day long meet allowed the Boilermakers to compete against the nation's finest collegiate athletes, while attempting to qualify for the NCAA Regional Championships.
John Paul Smolenski and Scott Hecht began Purdue's day in the field finishing first and second in the hammer throw open. Smolenski's first-place throw landed at the 59.68 meter mark (195 feet, 10 inches) and Hecht's effort finished slightly behind at 59.19 meters (194-02).
The Boilermakers collected their second win of the afternoon in the 4x100 relay. Kenneth Baxter, Jamar Green, Jacques Reeves and Prentice Stovall looked impressive, completing the race in 40.14 seconds. Green competed also in the long jump and placed eighth with a leap of 7.28 meters (23-10 3/4).
Stovall earlier hooked up with Matt Simmons, Dedrick Tillerson and Kern Woods to race the 4x110 meter shuttle hurdles and placed fourth in 58.12 seconds, finishing behind top-notch teams from Tennessee, South Carolina and Middle Tennessee State. This was Purdue's first try in any shuttle relay race since 1998 when they competed at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa.
Tiffany Britten was the only female athlete to compete for Purdue on Saturday. The junior placed 13th in the shot put and recorded a distance of 13.89 meters (45-7), which was just .01 meters behind the regional qualifying mark of 13.90.
Purdue's track and field teams will split up again next weekend. The Boilermakers will compete at the Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif. from April 17-19 and at the Butler Invitational in Indianapolis on April 19.