May 18, 2003
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - A capacity crowd was on hand Sunday for the final day of competition at the Big Ten Championships, and although most fans cheered on Minnesota's athletes, the Boilermakers gave their very best efforts to sway them.
The first group of Boilermakers to draw a huge round of applause was the men's 4x100 squad of Kenneth Baxter, Jamar Green, Jacques Reeves and Prentice Stovall, which set a new Bierman Track and Field record of 39.75 seconds. The previous track record of 39.79 was recorded in 1990.
"It's an amazing feeling, not only to win, but to break the record as well," said sophomore Jamar Green, who ran the relay's second leg. "Everyone else on the team has their own individual medals, but this one is most special to me because it's my first, and more importantly it's a team medal."
Less than an hour after completing the 4x100, Stovall was back on the track as part of the 110 hurdle field and placed second with a time of 14.08 seconds. Jerod Void took third with a career best time of 14.19.
Stovall, a senior team captain, was then immediately pushed back into action to lead a four way Purdue sweep of the 100.
Krissy Liphardt led Purdue in both hurdle races and both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. |
A native of Lafayette, Ind., Stovall led the Boilermaker quartet with a personal-best mark of 10.39, and was followed in succession by Kenneth Baxter (10.47), Jacques Reeves (10.54) and Joey Harris (10.55). Baxter's and Harris' clips were also career bests. The clean sweep catapulted the Boilermakers from fourth place to second in the team standings.
Unfortunately, second place was as high as the Boilermakers could go. After the running of the 200, which saw the top-six finishers wearing either a Minnesota or Purdue uniform, the Gophers' lead was cut to 5.5 points; however, the Boilermakers could not cut that deficit further through the, 4x400 relay, triple jump or 5,000-meter competitions.
Baxter and Green finished one-two for the Old Gold and Black in the 200, with Green scoring a personal-best time of 21.04. Baxter's winning time was clocked at 20.91.
The silver-medal showing is Purdue's best conference meet finish under head coach Lissa Olson and its best since 1990 when current distance mentor Mike Poehlein was at the helm. The Boilermaker men captured third last season in Olson's first year on the job.
Purdue's men finished the three-day tournament in second place with 148 points, their highest point total ever for a Big Ten Championship meet. The women's squad took eighth with 49 points. Minnesota won the men's title with 168.5 points and Michigan earned the women's title with 137 points.
Helping the Purdue scoring cause along the way was the throwing trio of Nedzad Mulabegovic, Scott Hecht and Chris White, who all reached the finals of the shot put. Mulabegovic placed second behind Dan Taylor of Ohio State, but recorded a personal best and a new school record of 19.50 meters (63 feet, 11 3/4 inches). Mulabegovic's previous best was recorded two weeks ago against Indiana, where he posted a distance of 19.49 (63-11 1/2).
Hecht placed fifth with a push of 17.11 (56-1 3/4) and White registered a personal best of 16.82 (55-2 1/2). This was only the second competition in which Hecht did not place first; the junior has five shot put titles this outdoor season.
Brian Smith won the silver medal for Purdue at the Big Ten Tournament. |
The Boilermakers final medalist of the tournament was javelin launcher Brian Smith, who recorded a second-place effort of 66.86 (219-4). Smith's mark is a new personal record and ranks him among the top-five in the Mideast region. Purdue also received third-place points from pole vaulter Pooh Williams, who recorded a height of 5.0 (16-4 3/4).
The women's team received points Sunday from finalists Krissy Liphardt in the 400 hurdles, who placed seventh at 1:02.86 and from Megan McNeilly in the 800, who clocked a sixth-place showing of 2:12.16. Liphardt also scored in the 100 hurdles, with a time of 13.82, which qualified her for a spot in the NCAA Mideast Regionals.
Liphardt's 4x100 relay team, which also included heptathlon runner-up Shanna Carter, as well as LaShauna Harris and Shanette Stewart placed seventh in 46.41.
The women's team earned its final points from the 4x400 relay team of Ragina Harvey, Kim Jordan, Liphardt and Ashley Kemp, which placed fourth with a season-best time of 3:44.24. The team's previous best was 3:45.98, which it recorded at the Miami (Ohio) Invitational.
Carrie Long and Laura Stier placed fifth and seventh, respectivley, in the high jump. Both recorded NCAA regional qualifying heights of 1.70 (5-7).
For full results and complete team standings, track and field fans can log onto www.BigTen.org.
The Boilermakers will have the next week off in preparation for the NCAA Mideast Regional Championship. The two-day meet runs from Friday, May 30 to Saturday, May 31 and will be hosted by Ohio State. Thirty Purdue track and field athletes are scheduled to compete in an attempt to qualify for the national championship meet in Sacramento, Calif., in June.
Sunday's events were taped by Fox Sports Net. Purdue track and field fans who receive Fox Sports Net Chicago or Fox Sports Net North will be able to watch periodically thoughtout the week. Check local listings for air time.
MEN'S FINAL TEAM STANDINGS1. Minnesota 168.52. Purdue 148.03. Indiana 113.04. Ohio State 111.55. Penn State 81.06. Wisconsin 61.07. Michigan 56.08. Illinois 44.09. Iowa 27.010. Michigan State 9.0
WOMEN'S FINAL TEAM STANDINGS1. Michigan 137.02. Indiana 124.0 Penn State 124.04. Ohio State 83.05. Wisconsin 74.06. Iowa 70.07. Illinois 66.08. Purdue 49.09. Minnesota 47.010. Michigan State 45.0