WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -Â Devynne Charlton shattered a 29-year old school record on Saturday afternoon at the Rankin/Poehlein Invitational. The Boilermakers had a strong last meet prior to the Big Ten Championships in two weeks.
"It was a good day," head coach Lonnie Greene said. "The men performed well and the women preformed very, very well. It's a great tune-up heading into the Big Ten Championships. We just need to get healthy and get ready for the Big Tens. When you have performances like we did 10 days out, I think we are poised to have a good showing at the Big Ten Championships."
Charlton was busy with the 100-meter dash prelims and finals, 100m hurdles prelims and finals, 200m dash and 4x100m relay on Saturday. She opened with the 100m dash prelims and won her heat with a time of 11.74 seconds, aided by a tailwind of 2.6 meters per second. Charlton followed up the race 20 minutes later with the 100m hurdles, an event in which she broke the school and Bahamian records last weekend with a time of 13.06 seconds. Saturday, she won her heat of the prelims with a wind-legal time of 13.47 seconds to advance to the finals.
The finals of each event were where Charlton really shined. In the 100m dash, the sophomore school record holder in the 60m dash, 60m hurdles, 100m hurdles, shuttle hurdle relay and 4x100m relay added her name to the top of another list. She took the 100m dash title with a time of 11.49 seconds (wind +0.9) to top Sybil Perry's previous record of 11.65 seconds from 1986. Charlton's time ranks second in the Big Ten this season and 36th in the country. Just 20 minutes after that race, Charlton was back on the track in the 100m hurdles. She won with a time of 13.17 seconds into a headwind of 2.1 meters per second. Despite the strong wind at her face, it was the second-fastest time of her career.
In the 200m dash, Charlton finished fourth with a wind-legal time of 24.58 seconds. She also helped the women's 4x100m relay team win with a time of 44.74 seconds. Though not a season best for the Boilermakers, only Ohio State has a faster 4x100m relay team this season than Purdue's time Saturday.
Savannah Carson had a great day on the track as well. Like Charlton, Carson also bettered the school record in the 100m dash, though finished 0.05 of a second behind her classmate. Carson had the top time in prelims, finishing in 11.67 seconds (+0.2). She finished runner-up in the finals with the second-fastest time in school history, 11.54 seconds. Carson also won the long jump with a mark of 5.97m (19-7.00) and a tailwind of 2.0 meters per second.
The Purdue women took the top four and five of the top six spots in the 100m dash. After Charlton and Carson, Twyla Winfrey was third with a PR of 11.77 seconds. That time ties her for sixth in school history with Lucretia Graves and teammate Carmiesha Cox. Autumn Heath finished fourth and PRed with a time of 11.79 seconds. That puts her in ninth place all-time at Purdue. Savannah Roberson ran a time of 12.16 seconds and finished sixth.
Brionna Thomas climbed into the top 10 in school history in the 200m dash. The freshman ran a time of 23.84 seconds to win the event. Her time ranks fourth in program history and seventh in the Big Ten this season. The Boilermakers took the top five spots in the race, with Winfrey finished second with a time of 24.34 seconds. Heath was third in 24.42 seconds. Charlton took fourth, while Roberson was fifth with a time of 24.61 seconds.
Symone Black won the 400m dash in her first go at it during the outdoor season. The Big Ten runner-up during the indoor season ran a time of 54.33 seconds. Makayla Earnheart was third in 54.66 seconds, while Aarin Jones was fourth in 54.88 seconds. Hope Schmelzle PRed and finished fourth in the 1,500m run. Her time of 4:28.37 edged teammate Vanessa McLeod who took fifth with a time of 4:33.62.
Shantyra Delaney had a career day in the 100m hurdles. She crossed the line in 13.62 seconds, a time that would rank in the top 10 in program history, but she was aided by a wind of 2.5 meters per second. Had her time been wind legal, it would rank eighth in program history. Cierra Brown was sixth in the prelims with a wind legal time if 13.73 seconds to also advance to finals.
Brown ran even better in the finals. Into the headwind of 2.1 meters per second, she finished fifth with a PR of 13.71 seconds, the 10th fastest time in program history. Delaney was right behind her in 13.74 seconds. The women's 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay teams won. The 4x400m team finished in 3:39.80 to win by almost seven seconds.
Jacqueline Williams had another PR in the pole vault. A week after clearing 4.05m (13-3.50), Williams cleared 4.06m (13-3.75) to finish third. The senior cleared the height on her second attempt and made it by daylight. Her mark is fifth in school history and tied for eighth in the Big Ten this season. Jessica Harter finished fifth in the event with a clearance of 3.96m (13-00.00).
Vania Anane PRed in the triple jump, though the mark was not wind legal. She won with a distance of 12.40m (40-8.25) and a tailwind of 2.8 meters per second. Elizabeth Iversen was just off her PR in the shot put. She finished second with a best throw of 14.53m (47-08.00). Micaela Hazelwood took third in the event, while Alisha Bahler was fourth. Hazelwood threw a PR of 14.10m (46-3.25), while Bahler had an outdoor PR of 14.05m (46-1.25).
On the men's side, Purdue went 1-2-3 in the 400m dash. Moussa Conde won with a time of 48.18 seconds, while Kinard Rolle was second in 49.21 seconds. Nicholas Parks took third with a time of 49.44 seconds. Matthew McClintock won the men's 1,500m run. The junior 5k and 10k school-record holder finished with a time of 3:54.53. Caleb Kerr was second in the race, finishing in 4:01.35.
Obokhare Ikpefan ran away with the men's 400m hurdles. The sophomore won by 4.17 seconds after finishing in 51.64 seconds. Isiah Walls was second with a time of 55.81 seconds. The men's 4x100m relay team had a season-best and won the event at the meet. The group ran a time of 40.87 seconds, which ranks seventh in the conference. The men's 4x400m relay team also was a winner on Saturday.
Tyler Askew finished second in the long jump. He leapt a wind legal 7.27m (23-10.25) in his final home meet. Chukwuebuka Enekwechi was impressive a day after breaking the school record and winning the hammer throw. He won the shot put with a throw of 19.30m (63-3.75). Enekwechi also PRed in the discus in just his second attempt in the event. He finished third with a mark of 49.44m (162-2.50).
Luke Lewis had a huge PR in the shot put. The freshman finished second with a throw of 17.96m (58-11.00). His mark ranks 10th in the Big Ten and tops among underclassmen, let alone freshmen. His mark is 59th in the country and ninth among rookies. Caleb Reiff won the men's discus in his final home event. The senior threw 51.30m (168-4), his best of the season.
The Boilermakers have a week off for finals before heading to East Lansing, Michigan, for the Big Ten Championships. The meet is scheduled for May 15th through May 17th.
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