April 15, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue men's and women's track and field teams continue their outdoors season this weekend, hosting the fourth-annual Dave Rankin Invitational at Rankin Track on Friday and Saturday. The Boilermakers are set to host their second straight track and field alumni reunion in conjunction with the event, honoring their former coaches and athletes during the competition.
Dave Rankin was the men's track and field coach for the Boilermakers from 1946-to-1981. He came to Purdue from Warsaw, Ind., in 1938 and was a member of the Boilermakers' varsity football and track and field teams. He earned letters in football in 1938, `39 and `40, and garnished track and field letters in 1939 and `40. He was a two-time football All-American, and was named team captain and Most Valuable Player his senior season. On the track, Rankin set the United States record in the indoor 60-yard hurdles in 1940.
This weekend's action will feature several teams from across the Midwest, including instate rivals Notre Dame and Valparaiso, Big Ten opponent Illinois, Mid-American Conference squad Central Michigan and Horizon League foe Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Fighting Illini's women's squad is the only one coming to Rankin Track with a national ranking this week as they stand 24th in the national poll with 88.14 points. The current USTFCCCA rankings include a combination of the top marks from 2009 and 2010, and will continue this format until April 27, when the poll will be completely comprised of marks from this season.
The Boilermakers enter this weekend's action with five athletes ranked in the top-30 in the nation in their individual events in 2010, with two on the men's side and three on the women's. Senior Eric Sparks headlines the group, clearing the 13th-highest mark in the country in the men's pole vault last weekend at the University of Georgia's Spec Towns National Team Invitational. His height of 5.32 meters (17-05.50) is just nine centimeters off his career-best mark of 5.41 meters (17-09.00) and just three centimeters shy of the Big Ten lead in the event.
Freshman Geoff Davis has picked up where he left off in the indoor season, clearing an outdoor best 2.15 meters (7-00.50) last weekend to tie for the 19th-best height in the country. Davis earned the No. 4 spot on the Boilermakers' all-time indoor list in February, clearing 2.20 meters (7-02.50) to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
On the women's side, seniors Brianna Neumann and Christina Madison are both tied for 16th in the country in their respective events. Neumann broke her own school record in the pole vault in Georgia, clearing 4.17 meters (13-08.25) to move within four centimeters of the conference lead, while Madison took hold of the Big Ten's top mark in the long jump at the Spec Towns Invitational with a leap of 6.27 meters (20-07.00). Madison's mark is two centimeters short of her career best, which is good for second best in Purdue's outdoor history. Sophomore Leah Eber also holds one of the nation's top marks in the long jump, bouncing a career-best 6.22 meters (20-05.00) in Georgia to match the 20th-best mark in the country, and improve her No. 5 all-time outdoor mark at Purdue.
A trio of Boilermakers sit just outside the national top-30 in their respective events, looking to break into national contention this weekend. Junior Emily Breslin has put forth a series of personal records in the women's high jump this season, including an outdoor career best of 1.76 meters (5-09.25) last weekend. She's tied for 31st in the country this season, and any slight increase would push her into the national spotlight and edge her closer to the Boilermakers' all-time outdoor top-five list in the event. Senior Nkeiru Ugwoaba sits in a similar situation in the women's triple jump, matching the No. 31 mark in the nation at 12.57 meters (41-03.00). She leapt an outdoor career best 12.88 meters (42-03.25) last season, good for the second-best mark in school history, and that would bump her all the way to 17th on the NCAA Division I list.
Junior Bill Hardcastle is on the edge of the national standings in both the men's shot put and men's discus, owning the No. 31 mark in the shot put and sitting 32nd in the country in the discus. Both his season bests came at the Mike Poehlein Invitational as he tossed 17.48 meters (57-04.25) in the shot put and 54.33 meters (178-03) in the discus. Those marks are good for second in the conference this season, while Hardcastle's career bests in both events are ranked third all-time at Purdue.
The Rankin Invitational starts Friday at 3 p.m. with the women's and men's hammer throws, and continues Saturday at 10 a.m. with the women's javelin. Live results will be available at PurdueSports.com courtesy of Delta Timing Group, while full results and a full recap will be available upon the event's completion.