May 6, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Purdue track and field sophomore Jakob Engel led the Boilermakers in their final regular season outing, winning the men's shot put at the Billy Hayes Invitational, hosted by archrival Indiana University on Friday. Engel threw a career best 17.65 meters (57-11.00) to top the field, surpassing his previous personal record by almost half a meter.
Engel had a solid preliminary round, tossing 17.05 meters (55-11.25) to head to the finals in first place. After a decent fourth throw, Engel crushed his previous personal record on his fifth and sixth attempts, marking 17.49 meters (57-04.75) on the fifth throw and his top mark on the final toss. He's now tied for sixth in the Big Ten this season and 40th in NCAA Division I, greatly improving his chances to advance to the NCAA East Preliminary Championship Rounds.
The Boilermakers had several other solid showings in the throws as senior Bill Hardcastle took seventh in the men's discus marking 50.31 meters (165-01), while junior Terri Anderson was solid on the women's, taking third place with a toss of 49.31 meters (161-09). Junior Kylie Hermanson, sophomore Laura Grabowski and junior Elaine Gilbert finished fourth, sixth and eighth in the women's javelin, led by Hermanson's mark of 36.67 meters (120-04). Freshman Liberty Slinden took home seventh in the women's shot put, tossing just shy of her season best at 14.43 meters (47-04.25).
Boilermaker freshman Brandon Winters qualified for the finals in the men's 110-meter hurdles, posting a preliminary time of 14.50, good for the fifth-fastest mark, but was unable to finish in the finals, settling for ninth place. Junior Morgan Monroe grabbed sixth in the women's 400-meter hurdles, running near to her personal best with a time of 1:02.53.
The Boilermakers head to the University of Iowa this week for the 2011 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. The meet will start Friday, May 13, in Iowa City at Francis X. Cretzmeyer Track and run through Saturday and Sunday (May 14-15). For more information visit the Hawkeyes' Championship page.