April 24, 2003
West Lafayette, Ind. - The Purdue track and field teams return home to Rankin Track and Field for the first time in just under a month for the Boilermaker Invitational this weekend, but their rosters are a bit lighter as a number of Boilermakers also will be competing the Penn and Drake Relays.
The Penn Relay Carnival, now in its 108th year, will host more than 10,000 competitors coming from colleges, high schools, junior high schools, and elementary schools. Representing the Boilermakers in Philadelphia are Shaun Guice, the 4x100 relay team of Kenneth Baxter, Jamar Green, Jacques Reeeves and Prentice Stovall, and throwing specialists Scott Hecht, Igor Kirin, Keith McBride, Nedzad Mulabegovic, John Paul Smolenski and Chris White.
Purdue's 4x100 team is a serious contender for the title, but it will receive stiff opposition from Texas, Mississippi State, Houston and LSU. The Boilermaker quartet's school-record time of 39.50, which was recorded at the Texas Relays on April 5, is the fourth-fastest time registered in the nation this season.
The team has finished under the NCAA regional qualifying time of 40.50 seconds on three occasions, twice at Texas and once at the Sea Ray Relays.
Guice, a six-time All-American high jumper, will seek out his second win of the season. In two attempts this year, Guice has leaped well over the regional qualifying mark of 2.07 meters, with his best attempt coming at Texas (2.15, 7-1/2). The senior scored his most recent All-America citation at the 2003 NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., after tying North Carolina State's Jesse Williams for third at 2.17 meters (7-1 1/2).
Purdue's throwing corps has been nothing short of impressive. Led by juniors Hecht and McBride, the Boilermaker throwers have collected six wins and 13 NCAA regional qualifying marks in the discus, shot put and hammer throws. All four hammer throwers (Smolenski, Kirin, McBride, Hecht) have qualified for regionals.
2003 NCAA Indoor competitor Nedzad Mulabegovic is scheduled to compete for the first time this outdoor season at the Penn Relays, and will attempt to join Hecht at regionals with a solid effort in the shot put. Hecht recorded his regional qualifying mark in the shot put at the Sea Ray Relays (18.28, 59-11 3/4). White also will try and get his ticket stamped for regionals, competing in both the discus and shot put.
Halfway across the country in Des Moines, Iowa, Purdue will dispatch thrower Tiffany Britten and sprinter Krissy Liphardt into the Drake Relays' field. Assistant coach and former All-American high jumper Carri Long also is schduled to compete.
In her last appearance in the high jump at the Sea Ray Relays, Long reached a height of 1.77 meters (5 feet, 9 3/4 inches), beating out runner-up Janet Crawford of Kentucky by a full two feet (1.72, 5-7 3/4). As a student-athlete, Long earned four All-America citations in the high jump and two Big Ten championships. Since graduating in May of 2000, she has competed at the Olympic trials, the World University Games and the United States Track and Field Championships. She currently competes for the Indiana Invaders club team.
Britten has been Purdue's hardest-working thrower this outdoor season, competing eight times in three events: the discus, hammer throw and shot put. The junior, who has collected a handful of top-five showings, scored her first win of the season in the shot put last weekend at the Indy Relays.
Liphardt, a regional qualifier in the 400 meter hurdles, still is looking to earn her way into the regional meet as part of the 100 hurdle field. The senior recorded her fastest time of the season at last Friday's Pomona-Pitzer Invitational, clocking a time of 14.43 seconds, and is likely to improve on that mark this weekend. Liphardt finished under the one-minute mark in the 400 for the first time this season at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays last Thursday, finishing in 59.71 seconds.
The Drake Relays, like its Eastern counterpart in Philadelphia, is also a well-established track and field franchise. The athletic classic is celebrating its 93rd year of existence as well as its 37th consecutive sellout of the 18,000-seat Drake Stadium. The Des Moines track and field complex has welcomed a number of high-profile athletes including olympians Gwen Torrence, Bruce Jenner, Michael Johnson and Frank Shorter.
Hoping to one day reach the status of the Drake and Penn relays is the Boilermaker Invitational, which kicks off Friday at 3 p.m. with the men's and women's hammer throw. Purdue will welcome competitors from 10 other school's: Ball State, DePaul, Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, Indiana, IPFW, Kent State, Marquette, Notre Dame and Valparaiso. The meet is a non-scoring affair.
The two-day meet will provide the Purdue women with an opportunity to take center stage, as a large portion of the men's team competes elsewhere. Pole vaulter Simona Kovacic has been riding a hot streak as of late, reaching well over the 13-foot mark in two of her last three attempts. Her leap of 13-1 at the Miami (Ohio) Invitational was the second-best effort in school history.
The home meet should be advantageous for the female track stars in achieving NCAA regional qualifying marks. Sprinters Gina Harvey, Kim Jordan, LaShauna Harris and Shannette Stewart have come close over the past weeks, but running on the hometown oval should push them over the hump.
Of the 16 regional qualifiers belonging to Purdue, just five are women, including Angela Anoliefoh (javelin), Amber Ferner (steeplechase), Kovacic (pole vault), Liphardt (400 hurdles) and Amy Spellmeyer (pole vault). The Boilermaker coaching staff is hoping that the next two home meets will help qualify more of its females for postseason competition.
Purdue track and field fans can log onto the Penn and Drake relays web sites throughout the weekend to receive live results. Penn Relay results can be accessed through www.the Pennrelays.com, while all the news from Drake Stadium can be found at www.drakerelays.org.
The Boilermakers official athletic web site, www.purduesports.com, will provide nightly recaps from all three meets on Friday and Saturday after all events are completed.