May 25, 2007
COLUMBIA, Mo. - COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Purdue University men's and women's track and field teams posted a solid start to the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships as the men's squad earned 6.5 points and advanced two runners to tomorrow's track finals, while the women's team tallied 15 points and qualified a pair for the track finals.
Senior Lindsey Blaine captured her first career NCAA Mideast Regional Championship, winning the women's javelin with a throw of 52.09 meters (170-11). Her throw increased her personal best from the Big Ten Championships and still stands as the third longest in school history. She returns to the NCAA Championships for the fourth straight season, looking to top her career-best 14th-place performance in 2004.
Joining her in Sacramento, Ca. will be freshman Stacey Wannemacher and sophomore Eric Sparks. Wannemacher punched her ticket with a fifth-place finish and career-best toss of 15.31 meters (50-02.75) in the women's shot put. Sparks cleared a career-best 5.06 meters (16-07.25) to place fourth in the men's pole vault. Senior captain John Porter shared seventh place in the pole vault, picking up 1.5 team points for the men with a clearance of 4.91 meters (16-01.25). Junior captain Leah Kincaid added a team point to the women's total, placing eighth in the long jump with a mark of 5.92 meters (19-05.00).
All of tomorrow's finals qualifiers made themselves eligible for the national championships and will aim for one of the five automatic qualifiers to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Seniors Laura Farley and Corrie Whisner snagged spots in the women's 1,500-meter final, junior Keith Hopkins qualified in the men's 110-meter high hurdles and junior Jh'Rome Tuggle advanced in the men's 200-meter dash.
Farley shattered her previous personal best by more than two seconds, posting a 4:22.08, while Whisner clocked a 4:23.39 to place just behind her in the preliminary standings. Hopkins won his heat for an automatic spot in the finals with a time of 13.97, while Tuggle registered a 21.16.
Tomorrow's action kicks off at 11 a.m. with the women's hammer throw. Live results will continue to be available here.