April 30, 2014
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Dani Bunch was named the women's Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week for the second-consecutive week, the Big Ten Conference announced on Wednesday. The award is Bunch's second outdoor award and ninth total Big Ten weekly honor.
Bunch set the school record with the Big Ten's season-best throw in the shot put at the Drake Relays over the weekend. The senior threw 17.16m (56-03.75) to win the event and break her own Purdue record. Bunch's shot put mark ranks seventh in the country this year. Bunch also had a PR in the hammer throw as she finished third with a throw of 58.36m (191-06). That mark ranks 48th in the country and fourth in the Big Ten.
Bunch had never won an outdoor conference weekly award prior to last week. This week's award makes her the Big Ten season leader in female outdoor field athlete of the week honors. She is the first Big Ten female to win back-to-back outdoor conference field athlete of the week honors since 2010 when Illinois' Aja Evans won three in a row from April 7 to April 21.
Bunch and the Boilermakers are back in action this weekend in the team's first home meet of the year. The Dave Rankin Invite begins Friday with the hammer throw and continues Saturday with the rest of the events.