June 12, 2008
DES MOINES, Iowa - The Purdue men's and women's track and field teams picked up another national finalist on Thursday as junior Kara Patterson moved on to the championship flight in the women's javelin at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships, hosted by Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Patterson joins fellow junior Mallory Peck as the last two Boilermakers alive in national competition.
Patterson claimed the No. 11 qualifying spot in the field, marking 50.26 meters (164-11) on her final throw of the day. She fouled her first throw of the day, hit 47.11 meters (154-07) on her second attempt and posted her qualifying mark with her last toss. Saturday will be Patterson's first career outing in the national finals as she fell just shy in 2005 and 2006, placing 13th and 26th, respectively.
Senior Tyler Miller and freshman Billy Hardcastle were unable to advance in the men's shot put, placing 14th and 23rd, respectively. Miller missed the finals by just six centimeters, marking 17.91 meters (58-09.25), while Hardcastle posted a throw of 17.31 meters (56-09.50). Freshman Josh Hembrough met a similar fate as Miller, coming up 0.13 seconds shy of advancement in the men's 110-meter hurdles. Hembrough clocked a time of 13.92, placing sixth in his heat and 18th overall. Sophomore Stacey Wannemacher improved upon her national showing from a year ago, placing 20th with a mark of 15.31 meters (50-02.75) in the women's shot put. The throw was more than a meter better than her 2007 NCAA Championship performance and moved her up eight places from last year's national standings.
Purdue junior Mallory Peck has her sights set on her third NCAA All-America award as she is scheduled to compete in the finals of the women's pole vault tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. CT.