Jan. 14, 2006
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker track and field teams kicked off their 2006 by dominating the competition at the Purdue Invitational on Saturday. Purdue athletes won 22 of the 30 events at the meet, while two individuals chalked up NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the season opener.
Junior Astin Steward (Okemos, Mich.) and junior Rickey Pinkney (Lake Worth, Fla.) earned provisional marks in the women's weight throw and the 60-meter hurdles respectively. Steward won her event with a personal best toss of 62-feet-9 ½ inches (19.10m), surpassing the provisional qualifying mark of 19.00m. Pinkney took the 60-meter hurdles title with a time of 7.88, besting the provisional mark of 7.91.
Thirteen Boilermakers claimed event titles on the women's side, led by sophomore Leah Kincaid (Springfield, Ill.) who won the long jump (19-feet 1 ½ inches), triple jump (40-feet 3 ¼ inches) and 60-meter hurdles (8.68). Kincaid's triple jump mark was a personal best.
Freshman Ranay Harvey (200m), sophomore Sheena James (shot put), senior Brooke Woodruff (800m), senior LaShauna Harris (60m), junior Laura Farley (mile), senior Ina Jackson (400m), freshman Molly Pierson (600m) and senior Amber Ferner (3000m) also won events for the Purdue women. Senior Jocelyn Lindsay tied for first in the women's pole vault with a clearance of 12-feet 5 ½ inches. The women's 4x400 team also won its race in a time of 3:56.12.
Harvey and Pierson garnered event titles in their first collegiate races, while freshman Lauren Scott placed second in the 400-meter run (59.12).
The men's team won nine events, including Pinkney's 60-meter hurdles victory. Freshman Ben Harpenau (Tell City, Ind.) took the weight throw title with a toss of 56-feet 9 ¼ inches (17.30m) in his first collegiate meet, while also placing second in the shot put with a throw of 48-7 ¼ (14.81m). Rookie Eric Sparks won the pole vault with a height of 16-6 3/4.
Other event winners for the men's team were senior David Rae (mile), junior Rayland Currie (long jump), sophomore Brian Kaluf (600m), sophomore Tyler Miller (shot put), and sophomore Zach Logan (200m).
Freshman Trenton Morton (Indianapolis, Ind.) finished second in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:58.81.
Several other athletes on both the men's and women's teams posted personal best marks.
Overall, head coach Jack Warner said he was pleased with his teams' first output of the season.
"Having Astin and Rickey provisionally qualify this early in the season is tremendous," Warner said. "Leah Kincaid was solid in all three of her events today. Several of our freshmen competed well today. They were real fighters and that is what we look for in our student-athletes. If they continue to improve they are going to be tough.
"As a whole, we are a lot better than we were a year ago. A lot of people got in on the action, fought hard and competed well. We will get better as we grow through the season. I would give us a "B" for the meet. We did well, but we have to improve."
The Boilermakers return to competition Jan. 21, when they take on Indiana and Ohio State in a triangular meet in Bloomington, Ind.