May 16, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Purdue men's and women's track and field teams wrapped up competition at the 2010 Big Ten Outdoor Championships on Sunday, hosted by Indiana University at Billy Hayes Track. The Boilermaker men finished in ninth place with 49 team points, while the women also took ninth with 49.5 team points.
Senior Nkeiru Ugwoaba highlighted the final day of the championships for the Old Gold and Black, winning her second career Big Ten Championship, and her first outdoor title in the women's triple jump. Ugwoaba broke the Boilermakers' outdoor record in the event, leaping 12.95 meters (42-06.00) to surpass former record-holder Angela Goodman's mark by one centimeter. The mark is tied for the 20th-best jump in the country in the event and is ranked 12th in the NCAA East Region. She is the 29th Purdue woman to win an outdoor title in school history, earning the 53rd individual outdoor title at Purdue. Ugwoaba is just the third woman at Purdue to earn an outdoor conference title in the triple jump, joining Goodman and Yvonne Netterville, who each won a pair of crowns.
The Boilermakers' posted 10 other scoring performances on Sunday, including Big Ten-medalist showings from sophomore Terri Anderson and junior Emily Breslin. Anderson earned her second bronze medal in as many days, taking third place in the women's discus. Her mark of 52.28 meters (179-00) is her second-best of the season as she remains one of the top-ranked throwers in the event both nationally and regionally.
Breslin tied for a medal on Sunday in the women's high jump, sharing the bronze with Wisconsin's Monika Jakutyte. Breslin was perfect in the high jump through 1.77 meters (5-09.75), clearing every height on her first attempt before missing at 1.80 meters (5-10.75). Her third-place effort on the day was good for her second straight Big Ten Outdoor Championship medal-winning performance as she tied for silver at the 2009 conference championships.
Senior Nan Hammel and junior Jacob Palmer scored in the women's and men's 800-meter runs, both clocking career-best times and solidifying bids to the NCAA East Preliminary meet. Hammel finished fourth in the women's race with a time of 2:07.78, lifting herself to 30th in the regional standings, while Palmer was seventh in the men's competition as his time of 1:49.69 is tied for 32nd in the NCAA East Region.
The Boilermakers' picked up a pair of placewinners in the men's javelin throw as sophomore Chris Anderson and senior Steve Carlson both tossed season-best marks and took fifth and sixth overall. Anderson smashed his personal record on the day, hurling 59.63 meters (195-08), while Carlson topped his season best with a toss of 59.19 meters (194-02). Junior Bill Hardcastle backed them in the men's throwing events and placed in his second event in as many days, capturing seventh in the shot put with a toss of 17.37 meters (57-00.00). Also scoring on the men's side was senior Adetayo Adesanya as he picked up seventh place in the men's triple jump with a mark of 14.70 meters (48-02.75).
Both the Boilermakers' men's and women's 4x100-meter relays squads scored, taking eighth place on both sides of the track. Ugwoaba teamed with senior NaTasha Blair and sophomores Leah Eber and Elise Glass for a time of 46.76 for the Purdue women, while juniors Chris Kirtz and Josh Hembrough and sophomores Mike Willey and Josh Lee combined for a mark of 41.45 on the men's side.
Penn State captured the women's team title, amassing 133.5 points, while Minnesota took home the men's team championship with 145 points.
The Boilermakers continue their postseason in two weeks, heading to Greensboro, N.C., for the first-ever NCAA East Preliminary Rounds. Visit PurdueSports.com for a full preview of the event next week.