May 16, 2008
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Purdue sophomore Eric Sparks led the Boilermakers' track and field teams at the first day of the 2008 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, winning the men's pole vault with a career-best height of 5.35 meters (17-06.50). The Purdue men wrapped up day one with 20 team points, while the women's squad posted eight team points.
Sparks vault matched the top pole vault mark in the NCAA Mideast Region, and moved him up into a tie for the fifth-best clearance in the nation this year. Junior teammate Ben Pax picked up two more points in the vault, matching his career-best height of 5.05 meters (16-06.75) to take home seventh place.
Fellow junior Ben Harpenau earned the silver medal in the men's hammer throw, launching it 63.75 meters (209-02) on the day. The throw was just 0.78 meters (2-06) shy of the first-place mark of Dave Ebersol of Ohio State, as both of them surpassed the facility record at Illinois.
On the women's side, sophomore Stacey Wannemacher and senior Astin Steward came home fourth and fifth in the hammer throw to account for the Boilermakers' eight team points. Wannemacher hit a career-best mark for the second straight week, hurling it 55.11 meters (180-11), while Steward marked 52.79 meters (173-02).
Action resumes tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. as the decathlon and heptathlon conclude, while the Boilermakers get underway at 1:15 p.m. with the men's high jump.