May 14, 2005
COLUMBUS, OHIO - After receiving her first Big Ten heptathlon medal in four years, senior Angela Anoliefoh knew her 'have fun' philosophy had finally paid off in full.
Anoliefoh finished third with 5,256 points, which should qualify her for the NCAA Championships. Assistant coach Rodney Zuyderwyk said the NCAA accepts 28 heptathlon participants, and Anoliefoh's score currently ranks her 22nd.
Melissa Talbot of Wisconsin was heptathlon champion with 5,479 points and Gayle Hunter of Penn State was the runner-up with 5,272 points.
"Angela had a complete heptathlon," said Zuyderwyk. "She went out there, had fun, and hit all the marks she needed. This was a great way for her to end her collegiate career. Angela's health this season has allowed her to train hard, so it was nice to see all her efforts pay off."
A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Anoliefoh had an awesome second day, which was topped by her winning throw of of 38.52 meters (126 feet - 4 inches) in the javelin. She also gave a solid effort in the 800, placing third in 2:17.54, and was sixth in the long jump.
"I haven't had fun in this event for awhile, but after talking with coach Rodney, we decided it would be best to go in relaxed," said Anoliefoh, who last medaled at the 2003 indoor championships. "Yesterday, I had a good run in the hurdles and did even better in the high jump; I was actually smiling at how well I was doing."
Anoliefoh's persona was noticed by a Big Ten Official, who said how nice it was to see her smiling again. The comments were greatly appreciated by Anoliefoh, as she reflected on all the past injuries she's overcome to get back on the awards stand.
"I haven't had a clean bill of health since I was a freshman, so I haven't been having much fun the past few years," said Anoliefoh. "It meant a lot to have that offical notice my smile, plus there's Rodney to thank, who's always believed in my talents."
Following Anoliefoh's walk to the awards stand were Leah Kincaid, Amber Ferner and Kara Patterson. Only a freshman, Patterson has made an impression on both the conference and the nation, winning the javelin with a launch of 49.96 (163-11). She has also fared extremely well at high-level meets such as the Penn Relays and Cal Berkeley's Brutus Hamilton Invitational. Lindsey Blaine picked up third-place points in the javelin with her toss of 45.55 (149-05).
"Kara was pretty nervous today, she placed high expectations on herself to help the team, but battled hard and came through" said Zuyderwyk.
Kincaid was a surprise runner-up in the long jump with a leap of 6.01 (19-8 3/4), finishing behind only Ohio State's Rosalind Goodwin, who was once a student of current Purdue head coach Jack Warner. The Buckeye's winning leap was measured at 6.13 (20-1 1/2).
The women long jumpers endured some of the worst weather of the afternoon, but none of it bothered a very thankful Kincaid.
"The weather was absolutely perfect for me, all of it was good," said Kincaid. "I just have to thank my coach and my teammates, who have supported me through the entire season. I'm also a very faithful and religious person, so I have to thank the Man above."
West Lafayette product and defending champion Ferner earned third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase after passing three competitors in the race's final minutes. During the last two laps, Ferner passed both Wisconsin's Havahla Hayes and Minnesota's Emily Brown, and in the final 50-meters, Ferner sprinted past Indiana's Kelly Siefker to claim a second straight medal.
"It's kind of funny how it worked, because when I passed her (Siefker) I thought I was in fifth," said Ferner. "But during that last lap I was a little more inspired and started kicking, knowing she wouldn't be able to react. I'm sure her being an IU runner played a factor in my motivation."
Also scoring points for the Boilermakers were Derek Watkins in the high jump (5th - 2.05; 6-8.75), Nedzad Mulabegovic in the discus (7th - 52.16; 171-1) and Sheena James in the shot put (4th - 14.45; 47-5). Watkins has scored in the outdoor high jump the last three years, with his best finish coming at the 2003 meet where he finished third. Mulabegovic also has scored multiple times in the discus. His best showing of fourth place occured at last year's meet in West Lafayette.
James' season-best throw earned her the first points of her young Big Ten career. James entered the finals in sixth place, but was able to overthrow seniors Courtney Bauer of Wisconsin and Kamesha Marshall of Iowa to capture the fourth-place points.
On the track, Purdue had several athletes qualify for Sunday's championship races. Rickey Pinkney and Keith Hopkins posted the second and third fastest times (14.23; 14.27) in the 110-meter hurdles, while freshman Alfred Woods slipped in with a ninth-place time of 10.65.
Senior All-American Kenneth Baxter qualified first in both the 100-and 200-meter dashes with times of 10.30 and 21.00; Gina Harvey was sixth in the 400 prelims (55.83); LaShauna Harris qualified for both the 100 dash (11.74) and 100 hurdle (13.84) championships as did her 4x100 relay team, which included Ina Jackson, Harvey and Kincaid.
The women's 4x100 registered the fifth-fastest time of the afternoon at 46.26, which is a season best. Penn State claimed the fastest relay mark at 44.80. Purdue men's relays, as well as the women's 4x400 all run Sunday.
Warner was impressed with Baxter's times, especially his 100-meter mark of 10.30 seconds, which tied Alvin McNair's 21-year old school record. Baxter's previous best was a 10.44, which wasn't even ranked among the five fastest in school history.
"Kenneth wanted to come here and establish himself among the top runners in the Big Ten, and I think he more than accomplished that, especially with that huge PR in the 100," said Warner. "I've been working with him a lot, fixing his starts, making sure he is able to transition himself in a race. If he keeps working hard he could get in the 10.20's."
Through two days of competition, the Purdue women stand in third place with 47 points and the men are fifth with 21 points. Sunday's events begin at 11:40 a.m. (EST) with the women's triple jump.