Dec. 10, 2003
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The unofficial start of the 2004 Purdue track and field season began Wednesday night at the Lambert Fieldhouse, as the Boilermakers split into two squads for its annual Black/Gold Intrasquad meet. The Gold team prevailed on both sides, as the women's team won 58-46 and the men's team cruised to a 68-47 victory.
A 5-3-2-1 point scale was used for the intrasquad, with only two competitors from each team allowed to score in each event. The women competed in 11 events, while the men competed in 12.
There were many competitive races throughout the meet, but in some events, a clear No. 1 competitor was established. In the 1,000-meter run, Kim Jordan clocked a first-place time of 3:00.73, beating the rest of the field by nearly two seconds, and in the 3,000-meter run Lindsay Zinn crushed her competition, winning in 10:05.09, a time which was over 14 seconds faster than the runner-up.
In the women's field events, Ina Jackson looked strong in winning the long jump with her effort of 18-6 1/2, as did Courtney Magnuson in the weight throw, who recorded a launch of 54-4 1/2.
Two freshman throwers finished high in their respective events, as Sheena James (45-5 3/4) placed a close second to Tiffany Britten (46-1 1/4) in the shot put, while Astin Steward (52-5 1/2) came in a few feet behind Magnuson in the weight throw.
In other field results, returning pole vaulters Jocelyn Lindsay (12-0) and Megan Darraugh (11-6) finished one-two in their main event. Triple jumper Ericka Palmer (34-5) and high jumper Laura Stier (5-2 1/4) went uncontested in their competitions.
On the track, T'Nita Waters, a redshirt last season, returned to win the 60-meter dash title in 7.67, while Gina Harvey claimed the 500-meter title with a mark of 1:18.14.
There were not many surprises coming out of the men's meet, with veterans such as Kenneth Baxter, Shaun Guice, Nedzad Mulabegovic and Keith McBride each dominating their respective competitions. Baxter cruised to a win in the 60-meter dash, finishing at 6.86, and six-time All-American Guice proved no match for Derek Watkins and newcomer Brian Hoying in the high jump. Guice's top height was measured at 7- 1/2, while Watkins topped off at 6-8 3/4. Hoying, a transfer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, scored a height of 6-4 3/4.
Mulabegovic continued his domination in the shot put, registering a top distance of 60-8, while McBride accomplished the same in the weight throw, recording a launch of 64-6. Scott Hecht finished as the runner-up in both events.
In the horizontal jumps, Jamar Green claimed the long jump title over freshman Rayland Currie (21-8), finishing at 22-11 3/4. Currie also finished second to Watkins in the triple jump, recording a distance of 44-10 3/4 to Watkins' 45-7 1/4.
IPFW transfer Andy Bodey was one of the few surprises, winning the pole vault title with a leap of 16-0, beating returning sophomore Brian LaGuire (15-0). Freshman Terrell Thompson also won in his Boilermaker debut, clocking a time of 1:06.14 in the 500-meter run.
The 60-meter hurdles and 1,000-meter run proved to be the most competitive races of the day, as Matt Simmons (8.37) edged Kern Woods in the 60 by .04 seconds, and David Rae (2:38.38) slid past Kyle Orender in the 1,000 by .28 ticks. Mike Ciccarelli looked dominant in the 3,000-meter run, winning by over 13 seconds with his time of 8:44.92.
The 2004 track and field season officially begins Saturday, Jan. 17 at 10:00 a.m. with the Boilermaker Invitational. A week prior to the meet, on Jan. 10, the team will host a Winter clinic at Lambert Fieldhouse. All junior high and high school coaches and athletes are invited to attend and be trained in specific areas of their choice by Purdue's coaching staff and student-athletes. The clinic will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and costs $40.00; lunch will be provided.
Free admission is available for any coach who brings three or more athletes to the clinic.
For more information about registering for the 2004 Boilermaker Track and Field Clinic, please contact Tom Robertson at tlrobertson@purdue.edu. For information regarding the content of the clinic, please contact assistant coach Carri Long at clong@purdue.edu.