May 14, 2009
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue men's and women's track and field teams are set to depart for Columbus, Ohio, for the 2009 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, hosted by Ohio State University at Jesse Owens Track Stadium this weekend. The Purdue men hope to improve upon last year's fourth place showing, while the women look to better their seventh-place effort in 2008.
The Boilermakers have a combined 28 NCAA Regional qualifying marks this season, including 18 on the women's side. Purdue athletes lead the conference in five events heading into the championships as senior Kara Patterson owns the nation's top throw in the women's javelin, junior Eric Sparks has the top height in the men's pole vault, fellow junior Christina Madison has the top mark in the women's long jump and senior Ben Harpenau and junior Stacey Wannemacher have the top tosses in the men's and women's hammer throws, respectively. Along with the five leaders, the Purdue men have 13 athletes ranked in the top eight in their events, while the Boilermakers' have 14 top-eight marks on the women's side.
Sparks cleared his conference-best pole vault mark at the Dave Rankin Invitational this season, marking 5.35 meters (17-06.50) to win the event and earn Big Ten Men's Field Athlete of the Week honors. He'll have ample support from his teammates in the event as senior Ben Pax and sophomore Chris Thoman are tied for the fourth-highest mark in the Big Ten, clearing 5.20 meters (17-00.75). Freshman Derek Cullison joins the group for the conference meet, hot on the heels of a personal-record clearance of 4.90 meters (16-00.75) last weekend.
Harpenau has led the Big Ten in the hammer throw in dominant fashion as the only athlete to exceed the 63-meter mark, and doing in all six of his outings this year. His top mark of 64.07 meters (210-02) came at the Mike Poehlein Invitational and is good for sixth in the region and 23rd in the nation. He'll see backup in the men's throws area from junior Steve Carlson and sophomore Bill Hardcastle. Carlson owns the seventh-best javelin mark in the conference, hurling a season-best 59.74 meters (196-00) at the Stan Lyons Invitational, while Hardcastle holds the No. 8 spot in the shot put with a top throw of 17.43 meters (57-02.25) at the Jesse Owens Track Classic. Hardcastle was the Big Ten Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year, Athlete of the Championships and Freshman of the Year after winning the shot put and discus with career-best marks last season.
Other Purdue men hoping to snare top placing marks include juniors Adetayo Adesanya and Lance Moe, and sophomores Josh Hembrough and Caden Shields. Adesanya is tied for the third-highest mark in the high jump, clearing a career-best 2.15 meters (7-00.50) twice this season, and Moe is right behind him, matching the sixth-best mark in the conference and NCAA Regional standard of 2.10 meters (6-10.75). Adesanya will look to double-up in the long jump, while Moe has a busy weekend planned and will compete in the decathlon as well. Hembrough is a two-time Big Ten Champion, winning the 60- and 110-meter hurdles in 2008, and looks to defend his outdoor crown this weekend. Shields is ready for his first-career Big Ten Outdoor Championships and heads into the meet with the fourth-best mark in the 10,000-meter run at 29:56.57.
Patterson headlines the women's efforts, looking to win her third Big Ten Championship in the javelin and improve upon her NCAA Division I-best toss of 58.41 meters (191-08). She owns the Big Ten and conference championship record in the event, hurling an American collegiate record and Olympic qualifying mark of 61.56 meters (202-00) on her first throw at the 2008 conference meet. Patterson is sitting on a four-meter lead in the event and hopes to repeat as the Big Ten Women's Field Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Championships.
Madison looks to become the Boilermakers' second straight Big Ten Champion in the women's long jump, following Leah Kincaid's 2008 victory. Madison has a conference-best mark of 6.29 meters (20-07.75), which is good for second all-time at Purdue, tied for third in the Mideast Region and tied for 16th in the country. She leads a swarm of Boilermakers looking to score in the women's jumps area, receiving support from fellow junior Nkeiru Ugwoaba and freshman Leah Eber. Ugwoaba won the 2009 Big Ten Indoor Championship in the triple jump, breaking a 21-year old school record with her mark of 12.90 (42-04.00). She has the conference's fourth-best mark in the outdoor season at 12.54 meters (41-01.75), followed closely by Madison, who has a season-best of 12.49 meters (40-11.75). Eber backs up Madison in the long jump, boasting the Boilermakers' fifth-best mark in school history and sixth-best mark in the conference at 6.20 meters (20-04.25).
Wannemacher owns some of the top marks in the Big Ten in three of the women's throws fields, leading the conference with her career-best toss of 55.58 (182-04) in the hammer throw and ranking third in the Big Ten in the shot put with her school-record toss of 16.25 meters (53-03.75). She also sits seventh in the conference in the discus with her season-best throw of 48.06 meters (157-08), giving her three NCAA Regional qualifying marks for the second straight year. Freshman Terri Anderson bolsters Purdue's entries in the women's shot put and discus with regional qualifiers in both events. She's ninth in the Big Ten with a throw of 14.48 meters (47-06.25) in the shot put, and fourth in the conference with her mark of 49.49 meters (162-04) in the discus. Fellow rookie Emily Leckenby looks to score some points in the hammer throw, ranking sixth in the conference with her career-best throw of 51.77 meters (169-10).
The Boilermaker women could pick up a big chunk of points in the pole vault as well, led by defending Big Ten Outdoor Champion Mallory Peck and Purdue outdoor record holder Brianna Neumann. The pair sit third and fourth in the Big Ten standings this year as Peck has matched her outdoor career-best vault of 4.15 meters (13-07.25), while Neumann has a season-best mark of 4.10 meters (13-05.25). Freshman Elizabeth Stover and sophomore Tara Turnbull have a shot to pick up some points as well as Stover has already hit the NCAA regional standard of 3.85 meters (12-07.50), while Turnbull boasts a career-best mark of 4.00 meters (13-01.50).
Juniors Kristin Phillips and Nan Hammel hope to pick a few points on the track for the Boilermakers as both have NCAA Regional qualifying times. Phillips ran a career-best time of 4:27.53 in the 1,500-meter run at the Georgia Spec Towns National Team Invitational, while Hammel smashed her personal record in the 800-meter run in Georgia as well, crossing the line in 2:09.35.
Action is scheduled to kick off at noon on Friday with the men's decathlon and women's heptathlon. Live results will be available throughout the championships at PurdueSports.com, courtesy of Delta Timing Group (www.deltatiming.com).