June 11, 2005
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Three Boilermakers were in position to achieve All-America status on the final day of their collegiate careers, but dreams turned to disappointment as seniors Angela Anoliefoh, Courtney Magnuson and Derek Watkins all were left off the NCAA awards stand.
Despite the heartbreaking endings, the Boilermaker trio did better than projected at the national championship meet. Anoliefoh, seeded 27th in the heptathlon, finished 16th. Watkins went from 24th to 14th in the high jump and Magnuson moved from 16th to 11th in the hammer throw.
These significant improvements made head coach Jack Warner proud of their and everyone else's efforts.
"We've had a nice few days out here," said Warner. "Every kid competed hard, and the Purdue alumni should be proud of them. Maybe we didn't get as many All-Americans or as many points as we wanted to, but we had some strong finishes and we're setting the right tone for next season."
Warner added he's been trying to get his team to believe all season that, 'if you work hard good things will happen'. And that philosophy was no more evident than today.
Anoliefoh moved up seven places during the second and final day of the heptathlon, finishing 16th with a career-best total of 5314 points. Her score which was considerably higher than the two other Big Ten competitors, Gayle Hunter (Penn State, 5189) and Melissa Talbot (Wisconsin, 5129).
Anoliefoh first scored a season-best leap of 5.54 meters (18 feet-2 1/4 inches) in the long jump, then placed sixth in the javelin with a launch of 38.70 (127-00). Her javelin mark pushed her from 23rd to 18th in the overall standings. Anoliefoh completed the seven-event marathon with a sixth-place time of 2:18.93 in the 800, giving her 16th.
Anoliefoh trailed late in the 800, but made a strong push to the outside over the final 100-meters and passed Brooke Meredith (Cal), Natassja Hall (UCLA) and Talbot for third place in the first heat.
Anoliefoh's marks in these events at Big Ten's were 5.42 (17-9.50), 38.52 (126-4) and 2:17.54. The senior's final point total at Big Ten's was 5,256, which earned her a bronze medal.
Watkins tied for 14th in the high jump championships with Texas Southern's Marcus Harris, matching a season-best height of 2.14 meters (7-00.25). Watkins was flawless early on, cruising over heights of 2.05 and 2.14 meters, but had some unlucky rolls trying to fly over the 2.17 bar.
Unlike Thursday's prelims, which witnessed 10 high jump competitors eliminated through two rounds, only one jumper was cut at the 2.14 height, while just three more bowed at 2.17.
In the hammer throw championship semifinals, Magnuson placed 11th with a top launch of 58.23 meters (191-00), missing the finals by 2.23 meters. Following her best throw, Magnuson posted a distance of 57.00 and then fouled on her final attempt.
For a handful of Boilermakers, this weekend may not have been their last of the season. Warner plans on sending Keith Hopkins and Kara Patterson to the USATF Junior National Championship, while All-Americans John Paul Smolenski and Kenneth Baxter and Lindsey Blaine will be sent to senior nationals. These competitions will be held simultaneously at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., June 23 to 26.