March 30, 2008
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Purdue men's and women's track and field teams wrapped up the Arizona State Invitational on Saturday night, completing the meet with 20 NCAA Mideast Regional qualifiers. Seniors Leah Kincaid and Astin Steward paced the team, surpassing the regional standard in two events each, while the Boilermakers notched five more qualifying marks than their total from a year ago.
With just 14 regional qualifiers at the 2007 ASU Invitational, the Purdue tracksters are already ahead of the curve in the 2008 outdoor campaign, tallying eight regional marks on the women's side and 12 on the men's. While the women's team has just one first-time regional qualifier, the Purdue men had five individuals punch their ticket to the Mideast Championships for the first time on Saturday.
Kincaid was solid in both the women's 100-meter hurdles and the long jump, taking second in both events as she crossed the line in 13.77 in the hurdles and leapt 6.03 meters (19-09.50) in the long jump. Sophomore Christina Madison secured her first-career trip to the regional championships with a first-place showing and career-best mark of 6.05 meters (19-10.25) in the long jump.
Steward followed yesterday's qualifying mark in the hammer throw with a fifth-place performance in the women's discus throw. Her mark of 49.17 meters (161-04) was nearly two meters past the regional standard. Fellow throwers Kara Patterson and Stacey Wannemacher secured regional bids as well, as Patterson finished second in the javelin with a throw of 52.80 meters (173-03), and Wannemacher won the shot put with an outdoor career-best mark of 15.48 meters (50-09.50).
Junior Mallory Peck locked up her third straight NCAA regional bid, clearing an outdoor career-best 4.10 meters (13-05.50) to take second place in the pole vault. Her vault is the second-best in Purdue's outdoor history, just five centimeters shy of the school record.
Freshman Josh Hembrough and senior Brian Kaluf finished 1-2 in the men's 110-meter hurdles as both clocked NCAA regional qualifying marks. Hembrough's time of 13.88 is good for the fifth-fastest in Purdue's history, while Kaluf's mark of 14.26 is just 0.04 seconds off his career-best. Fellow senior Jh'Rome Tuggle put his name in the regional field in the 200-meter dash, taking second with a time of 21.25, and fell just shy of the standard in the 400-meter dash, where he was the runner-up in 47.73.
Sophomore standout Jonathan Pullum and senior Jim Schwingendorf are set to join junior Ben Harpenau in the throwing events at regionals as Pullum smashed his previous career best with a toss of 54.91 meters (180-02) in the discus, while Schwingendorf makes his first regional bid with a career-best throw of 62.12 meters (203-10) in the javelin.
The Boilermaker men piled on the regional qualifiers in the shot put and pole vault, earning a pair of nods in the shot put and punching three tickets in the pole vault. Freshman Billy Hardcastle and senior Tyler Miller came home fourth and fifth, respectively, in the shot put as Hardcastle marked 17.00 meters (55-09.25) and Miller hit 16.94 meters (55-07.00). Hardcastle was nearly a double-qualifier for the Boilermakers, but came up just two centimeters shy of the standard in the discus throw with a toss of 51.68 meters (169-07).
Sophomore Eric Sparks led Purdue's pole-vault parade, clearing a career-best 5.15 meters (16-10.75) to claim fifth place overall, while junior Ben Pax and freshman Chris Thoman hit the regional standard and cleared 5.05 meters (16-06.75). Junior Nolan Petties rounded out the list of Purdue's regional qualifiers on the men's side, winning the triple jump and matching his career-best leap of 15.33 meters (50-03.50).
The Boilermakers return to action next Saturday in their outdoor home-opener as they host the Mike Poehlein Invitational at Dave Rankin Track and Field, which is scheduled to kick off at 9 a.m.