WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue cross country team will be in action one final time before the Big Ten Championships. The Boilermakers head to the Illinois Open for Friday's race. The women will run a 5,000-meter race, while the men will compete over 8,000 meters.
The Boilermakers will travel six men and six women for the races, which are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET. Purdue is one of seven teams that will compete, as well as Bradley, Butler, Eastern Illinois, Illinois, Illinois State and Loyola, at the University of Illinois Arboretum.
"This meet gives our men and women an opportunity to put on the uniform and have some solid head to head competition against some schools in our region," assistant coach Jeff Kent said. "The group that is going will have a good chance to showcase the work that they have put in all season. They can make a statement for themselves and establish their 'brand' to put a stamp on the program."
On the men's side, Caleb Kerr and Tate Schienbein are poised to lead Purdue. They will run alongside teammates Kevin Handshoe, Sam Hoffman, Ben Mohrdieck and Rocky Pollack. On the women's side, Alyssa Christoffer and Laura Maibuecher look to be towards the front of the pack. They will run along with Grace Denton, Reagan Lear, Maria Paolillo and Renee Studt.
"I'm really proud of the effort this group has put in all season and I'm excited to see them be able to showcase it this weekend," said Kent. "It'll be a great opportunity for them to compete and get that experience in a Purdue uniform."
Friday is Purdue's final race before the start of the championship season. The Big Ten meet kicks things off at the University of Iowa on Nov. 2. A full recap will be posted to PurdueSports.com following Friday's race.