May 14, 2011
IOWA CITY, Iowa - Purdue sophomore Geoff Davis and junior Leah Eber won Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships to pace the Boilermakers at the second day of the conference meet, hosted by the University of Iowa at Francis X. Cretzmeyer Track on Saturday. The Purdue men are tied for fourth place with 31 points, while the Boilermaker women are in fourth place with 36 points.
The entire day of competition was plagued with dismal weather as an icy rain fell throughout the day, stifling marks in the field events and times on the track. Despite the rain, Davis made his Big Ten Championship performance look easy, missing just one attempt on the day. As the rain depleted the field in the first few bars, Davis entered the competition at just 2.07 meters, well below his usual entry. He missed his first attempt of the day at that height, but proceeded to clear his next four jumps, topping out at 2.16 meters (7-01.00).
"It was crazy out there today," said Davis. "We were freezing the whole time and the rain made it really hard to keep my footing. I was just glad I was able to clear bars and stay safe. I'm thrilled to win my first Big Ten title."
Eber took on a similar challenge in the women's long jump, battling icy conditions to take home her second career Big Ten Championship and sweep the indoor and outdoor conference titles in the event. Eber advanced to the finals with a top preliminary jump of 5.72 meters, but extended the mark to 5.96 meters (19-06.75) on her second attempt in the finals to grab the gold medal. Eber is the 30th woman in Purdue history to win a Big Ten Outdoor title. Freshman teammate Nikki Nunn added three more points in the event with a sixth-place showing on a mark of 5.70 meters (18-08.50).
"With all the rain and wind today, competition was all about having a lot of heart," said Eber. "I just did my best to push the rain out of my head and focus on trying to build my confidence and jump a little better each time."
Senior Bill Hardcastle came up just shy of defending his Big Ten Championship in the men's discus, taking second with a throw of 51.55 meters (169-01). Again the rain and wind took their toll on the distance of the throws, but Hardcastle managed to get one of his three preliminary throws out at a solid distance, earning him a spot on the podium. Fellow senior Chris Kirtz added two more team points in the men's long jump, taking seventh place with a jump of 7.07 meters (23-02.50).
On the women's side, senior Stacey Wannemacher led a 12-point performance in the women's shot put, taking her second silver medal in as many days with a throw of 15.96 meters (52-04.50). Junior Terri Anderson added the other four points in the event, taking fifth place with a mark of 14.56 meters (47-09.25), and freshman Liberty Slinden came up just shy of another team point, qualifying for the finals, but finishing ninth at 13.82 meters (45-04.25).
Freshman Emily Becker put a point on the board for the Boilermaker women with an eighth-place effort in the heptathlon. Totaling 4,390 points, Becker was one of just eight of the original 15 entries in the event to finish each of the seven events as numbers dropped throughout the two-day competition, including one in the last race of the event, the 800-meter run.
The Boilermakers had six individuals advance to the finals of their respective events on Sunday, finishing in the top portion of their fields on Saturday. Senior Shane Crawford led the way, posting the second-fastest qualifying time in the men's 100-meter dash. He won the second of three heats, cruising across the finish line in 10.46 seconds. Senior Jacob Palmer and sophomore Kari Shoolbraid made the top-nine in the men's and women's 800-meter runs as Palmer notched the sixth-fastest qualifying mark at 1:49.74, while Shoolbraid had the No. 9 mark with a season-best 2:11.60. Buscomb qualified for the finals of the women's 1,500-meter run with a time 4:32.34, and senior Josh Hembrough and freshman Ciana Tabb guaranteed placing points with top-eight showings in the men's and women's hurdles. Hembrough had the No. 4 men's 110-meter hurdle mark at 14.31, while Tabb earned the eighth and final qualifying spot with a career-best time of 14.13.
Both the men's and women's 4x100-meter relay squads made it through to tomorrow's finals as the men posted the No. 8 time at 42.07, while the women were seventh fastest at 46.55. Kirtz, Crawford, Hembrough and freshman Seth Virgil teamed on the men's side, while Tabb, Eber, Nunn and senior Janan Graham provided the women's effort.
Tomorrow's final day of competition kicks off at 11 a.m. with the women's triple jump and discus, while action on the track starts at 12:45 p.m. Live updates of the Boilermakers' results will continue to be available via the Purdue Track and Field Facebook and Twitter pages.
TEAM SCORES
Men (after eight events)
1. Minnesota - 68.5
2. Ohio State - 48
3. Indiana - 37
4. Michigan State - 31
4. Purdue - 31
6. Wisconsin - 30
7. Michigan - 23.5
8. Penn State - 18
9. Iowa - 15
10. Illinois - 10
Women (after eight events)
1. Indiana - 73
2. Penn State - 42.5
3. Wisconsin - 36.5
4. Purdue - 36
5. Ohio State - 35
6. Illinois - 26
6. Michigan State - 26
8. Minnesota - 16
9. Iowa - 11
10. Michigan - 10