May 7, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Purdue freshman Simon Rogers led a small contingent of the Purdue men's and women's track and field teams at the Indiana University Billy Hayes Invitational on Friday night, smashing his personal record to win the men's 1,500-meter run. His mark was one of a few career bests for the Old Gold and Black, who got a preview of the Hoosiers newly renovated home facility that will play host to the 2010 Big Ten Outdoor Championships next weekend.
Rogers topped the 1,500 in a career-best time of 3:46.41, exceeding his personal record for the second straight weekend and registering the third-fastest time in the event in Purdue's outdoor history. He's now one of two active Boilermakers' on Purdue's all-time top five in the 1,500, passing sophomore teammate Ladd Mercer, who falls to fourth all-time (3:47.48 at the 2009 Big Tens) and finished third in the race Friday night with a time of 3:51.41. Fellow sophomore Cale Allen turned in a personal-record mark in the 1,500 as well on Friday, crossing the line in 3:56.89.
Junior Chris Kirtz turned in a solid performance in the men's long jump, taking fourth place with a mark of 7.14 meters (23-05.25) and finishing just 12 centimeters off the winner. Sophomore Morgan Monroe and junior Janan Graham turned in personal records in the 400-meter hurdles and 200-meter dash, respectively, as Monroe finished eighth with a time of 1:02.31, while Graham was 10th with a mark of 25.18. Junior Andy Dunn crossed the line just shy of his career best in the men's 400-meter hurdles, turning in a time of 54.17, good for 11th place, while seniors Kristin Phillips and Nan Hammel scored time of 2:13.67 and 2:14.81, respectively.
The full Purdue squad returns to the track for next weekend's conference championship meet at Indiana, starting Friday afternoon at Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex. Visit PurdueSports.com this week for a full preview of the Boilermakers' Big Ten Championships.