Nov. 1, 2009
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The Purdue men's and women's cross country teams showed solid overall improvement, but still finished 10th and ninth, respectively, at the Big Ten Championships, hosted by Penn State University on Sunday. The Boilermaker women finished with 204 team points, while the men finished with 279.
The Purdue women received impressive leadership from freshman Camille Buscomb as she turned in one of the top Big Ten showings in school history. She finished 17th overall in 21:17.0, good for the sixth fastest 6K all-time at Purdue, and the Boilermaker's second-best showing in a 6K conference race. Senior Kristin Phillips had a solid day as well, crossing the line 35th overall and missing her personal 6K record by just three seconds in 21:39.0. Her time is sixth all-time by a Boilermaker a 6K Big Ten race and her second career mark on the list.
All five of the following Boilermakers across the line turned in personal-record times for 6K, led by sophomore Katie Conrad as she fractured her previous best by more than 27 seconds, finishing 46th in 22:07.0. Classmate Stephanie Bonk was just behind in 48th, completing the course in 22:09.0, more than 30 seconds faster than her previous best, and senior Sarah Klaczynski was the Boilermaker's No. 5 finisher, taking 58th in 22:25.0. Rookie Kelly McCurdy came in just behind Klaczynski, taking 59th in 22:27.0, and sophomore Kara Conflenti capped the team's top-seven in 66th place in 22:36.0.
The Boilermakers' 204 team points are 46 better than last year's total, while the average team time improved by more than 30 seconds. The host Nittany Lions took home the overall team title behind the first-place effort of senior Bridget Franek (20:03.0).
Purdue's men's cross country team entered Sunday's race facing a host of adversity as junior Caden Shields has battled illness all season, which has limited his training, while sophomore Simon Rogers competed despite ankle injuries sustained this week. While finishing 10th in the team standings, the Boilermakers still took 17 points off their 2008 team total despite the lack of top team form. Shields finished 35th overall, completing the 8K in 26:28.8, while sophomore Cale Allen was 52nd in 26:59.7. Freshman Stephen Schulz, sophomore Ladd Mercer and rookie Robert Stewart rounded out the scoring for Purdue, finishing in order from 63rd to 65th, while sophomores Charles White and Dominic DeSantis completed the top seven in 68th and 69th.
Both the Purdue men and women continue their season in two weeks, heading down to Indiana University for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships.