March 29, 2009
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Purdue men's and women's track and field teams got their outdoor season off to a solid start this weekend, posting 10 NCAA Regional qualifiers and winning a trio of events at the Arizona State Invitational. Three regional marks came on the men's side, while the Boilermaker women added seven regional marks.
Purdue senior Kara Patterson led the Boilermakers, winning the women's javelin throw and setting a meet and Sun Angel Stadium record with her NCAA regional qualifying mark of 58.41 meters (191-08). Fellow senior Mallory Peck and juniors Brianna Neumann, Stacey Wannemacher, Nkeiru Ugwoaba and Ashlee Lengacher and freshman Terri Anderson joined Patterson with regional qualifiers on the day. Peck and Neumann hit the standard in the women's pole vault, clearing matching heights of 3.85 meters (12-07.50) to tie for second place overall, while Wannemacher was second in the women's shot put, tossing it 15.64 meters (51-03.75).
Lengacher added another runner-up finish in the women's 800-meter run, crossing the line in a regional-qualifying 2:09.27, and Ugwoaba exceeded the regional qualifier in the women's triple jump, tying for fourth place with her mark of 12.34 meters (40-06.00). Anderson was 10th in the discus in her first collegiate outdoor meet, eclipsing the regional standard with a throw of 47.64 meters (156-03).
Other impressive performances on the women's side came from senior Lauren Scott, juniors Rachel Stalzer, Christina Madison, Kristin Phillips, Katie Morrical and Nan Hammel, and sophomore Emily Breslin. Madison was second in the long jump, bouncing 5.95 meters (19-06.25), and Breslin was third in the high jump, clearing 1.70 meters (5-07.00). Stalzer and Scott were fifth and sixth in the 400-meter dash with respective times of 56.35 and 57.07, and Hammel was just behind Lengacher in the 800, taking fourth with an outdoor career-best time of 2:11.07. Phillips finished fourth in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:31.44, and Morrical was second in the 5,000-meter run, besting the previous meet record with a time of 17:39.07.
On the men's side, juniors Adetayo Adesanya and Eric Sparks joined senior Ben Harpenau on the NCAA Regional qualifying lists as Adesanya won the high jump with a jump of 2.10 meters (6-10.75) and Sparks was third in the pole vault with a height of 5.05 meters (16-06.75). Sophomore Caden Shields won the men's 5,000-meter run, crossing the line in a career-best time of 14:27.04 to round out the Boilermaker event winners, and more top performances came from senior Stephen Bach and freshman Mike Willey. Bach was fourth in the 800-meter run, breaking his career-best mark and just missing the regional standard with a time of 1:51.02, while Willey was third in the 110-meter hurdles and just missed the qualifier with his time of 14.67.
The Boilermakers host the annual Mike Poehlein Invitational next weekend, competing Friday and Saturday at Dave Rankin Track and Field. Live results will be available courtesy of PurdueSports.com and Delta Timing Group.