Feb. 10, 2005
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermakers head to Ames, Iowa, this weekend for the Iowa State Track & Field Classic. The two-day, non-scoring meet is considered one of the top indoor events in the nation, boasting over 1,000 competitors from across the country.
Purdue head coach Jack Warner is excited for his Boilermakers as they'll match up against teams from the Pac-10, SEC, Big 12 and every conference in between. The Old Gold and Black also will face opposition from Big Ten rivals Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.
"It's going to be a highly competitive meet, and the atmosphere is going to be jumping, so I'm hoping my athletes will respond to the level of excitement," said Warner. "We'll be running again on an oversized track, so we should come back with a few more NCAA qualifying marks."
Warner wants to see his teams build on the competitive effort they displayed Saturday at the Gene Edmonds Cup. The head coach believes if the Boilermakers show the same fire this week, they'll be destined for a good run at the Big Ten Championships.
It remains to be seen if Dorien Bryant, Zach Logan, Jerod Void and Ray Williams will be able to make the trip because of football requirements. Warner says if they do make it to Ames, they'll stack up well against the competition.
"Dorien was sharp last week in the 60 and 200, as was Zach in the 200 and 400," said Warner. "The advantage for them this weekend, is they won't have to race so much in one day. They might run one race Friday and two on Saturday."
Warner expects all the heats to be competitive and said he would not be surprised if some guys in the fourth section of heats are as fast as the guys in the first heat.
Elsewhere around the field, Warner said he's seen improvements from the high jumpers (Derek Watkins, Laura Stier, Lindsay Singleton) and pole vaulters (John Porter, Megan Darraugh, Jocelyn Lindsay) during this week of light practice.
Warner said he didn't want to kill his teams in practice this week, as he has the past couple of weeks. The teams appear to be in good shape, so he and the coaching staff want to keep them fresh for the weekend.
Thrower Igor Kirin will sit out this weekend, after making his season debut last Saturday at the Edmonds Cup. Kirin, who is coming off surgery, has been showing steady progress and should be ready to go next weekend for the Boilermaker Invitational. Kirin also thinks he'll be able to score at the Big Ten Championships.
The Iowa State Classic begins Friday at 4:30 p.m. EST with the women's weight throw and will conclude with the men's 200-meter dash at 7: 50 p.m. On Saturday, events begin at 12:30 p.m. with the women's triple jump and will end at 8:40 p.m. with the men's 4x400-meter relay.
Results will be posted at the end of each day at cyclones.com approximately one hour after the conclusion of the last event.