Devynne Charlton 23.66 to break the 200m school record! Check it out! #BoilerUp https://t.co/czYvMFyVdi
- PurdueTrack&Field (@PurdueTrackXC) February 26, 2016
Friday Results / Photos / Photo Album 2
GENEVA, Ohio - Jessica Harter had a two-bar personal record in the pole vault and claimed one of three medals earned by the women's team Friday at the Big Ten Championships. The Purdue women are tied for fourth with 22 points after the first day, while the men sit in 10th with 10 points, including a silver medal shot put performance by Chukwuebuka Enekwechi.
Harter entered the meet's first scored event with an indoor personal best clearance of 4.06 meters (13-3.75). That changed quickly, as she was perfect through her first three bars, including a PR of 4.11m (13-5.75), one of just five to clear that height. Harter then stepped onto the runway for her first attempt at 4.16m (13-7.75) and had the best jump of her career, easily clearing the new bar, which is the fourth highest ever cleared by a Purdue woman. That's where she would finish the day, earning her a bronze medal and six points for the women's team. It was the first time Harter had scored at an indoor Big Ten meet, though she also earned a bronze medal at the Big Ten outdoor meet in 2014.
Harter is the first Purdue woman to score in the indoor pole vault since 2010 when Brianna Neumann also finished third.
The women's distance medley relay team was the next podium finish for the Boilermakers. The team of Kiara McIntosh, Taylor Dunlap, Vanessa McLeod and Katie Hoevet worked its way around the track for a runner-up finish and eight points for the women's side. The first three legs kept Purdue in contention among the top five teams, before Hoevet moved the team up to its finishing place, crossing the line in 11:13.19.
Savannah Carson also found her way onto the podium on the women's side. The junior got out to a strong start in the long jump, leaping 6.22m (20-5.00) which put her in the lead. Carson had two other jumps over six meters, but did not improve. She led the entire way, until Nebraska's Tierra Williams tied her career best with a jump of 6.29m (20-7.75) in the final round. Carson ended up with the silver medal, earning the women's team eight points.
Enekwechi was the final Boilermaker to podium on the first day. The senior was in second place entering finals, after throwing 18.83m (61-9.25) on his second attempt. Enekwechi improved his mark on his fifth attempt with the second best throw of his career. He threw 19.61m (64-4.00) which secured his silver medal finish for the second straight year. Enekwechi earned eight of the men's team's 10 first-day points. He will be back in action Saturday with his best event, the weight throw, which he currently has the top mark in the world for the 2016 season.
The men's DMR was the other group to score for the Boilermakers. The team of Dillon Hinen, Nicholas Parks, Christopher Bluish and Tate Schienbein finished with a time of 9:50.84 to take seventh place and earn two points for the men.
Elsewhere on the track, the women dominated the 60m dash. Per Big Ten rules, teams can only enter up to four individuals per event. That's what the Boilermakers did and all four earned their way into Saturday's nine-person final. Devynne Charlton had Purdue's top time in the prelims, as she dashed to a heat four win with a time of 7.38 seconds. That time is a season best for the junior and ties her career best, which ranks second in program history. Autumn Heath was also in that heat and finished just behind Charlton, crossing the line in 7.52 seconds. Her time was the ninth fastest in the prelim to earn the sophomore her first berth in a Big Ten final. She is the only underclassman to make finals. Carson and Carmiesha Cox finished second and third in the second heat. Carson, Purdue's school record holder, finished with a time of 7.41 seconds, edging Cox at the line, who crossed the line in 7.42 seconds. Their times were fifth and sixth fastest in the prelims, respectively.
The women's 400m group was nearly as impressive. Brionna Thomas competed for the first time in a month and had the best 400m race of her career. She set an indoor PR by 1.39 seconds, posting a time of 53.43 seconds to finish second in her heat. Thomas is just the second Boilermaker in program history to run a sub-54 second time indoors and her time is the second fastest by a Boilermaker. The school record holder was also racing Friday. Symone Black cruised to victory in the third heat with a time of 53.55 seconds to qualify with the fifth-fastest overall time of the prelims. Aarin Jones also qualified for finals, where she has been twice before. Jones finished second in the first heat with a time of 54.48 seconds. Her time was the eighth fastest overall.
Charlton had quite the day on the track. After qualifying for the 60m dash, she was in the 60m hurdles prelims. Charlton blew by the rest of the field in the first heat, finishing with a time of 8.11 seconds to win by 0.25 of a second. Charlton's time was the fastest of the prelims by 0.09 of a second over national leader Cindi Ofili of Michigan. Ofili and Charlton were back at it in the 200m, going head-to-head in the second heat. Ofili finished in 23.65 seconds to win the heat, but Charlton was right on her heal, finishing just 0.01 of a second behind her to qualify for finals. Charlton's time of 23.66 was a PR by 0.16 of a second and broke the school record, which was held by fellow Bahamian, teammate and classmate Cox. Charlton bested Ofili in two of the three events they raced in Friday, including the 60m dash, and the duo will face each other in all three events again Saturday.
Prior to running her leg of the DMR, Hoevet competed in the women's mile. The senior, who has the second best time in the conference the ninth in the country, ran the fastest time in the entire prelim, finishing in 4:42.90 to advance to Saturday's 10-person finals.
Kyle Webb snagged a spot in the men's 200m after running away from the field in the first heat of the prelims. Webb finished in 21.19 seconds, which moves him up to the fourth-fastest time in school history. He won his heat by 0.40 of a second. Malcolm Dotson just missed the finals in the event after running a personal best time. Dotson finished ninth, one spot shy of qualifying, after finishing in 21.31 seconds. His time ranks sixth in program history.
A pair of Boilermakers is in the middle of the heptathlon. Tim Deal currently sits sixth with 2,981 points, while Matthew Garrison is eighth with 2,960. Deal scored the most points in the 60m dash, where he ran a time of 7.02 seconds to earn 875 points. Garrison scored his most points in the high jump, where he cleared 2.04m (6-8.25). That effort earned him 840 points, which was the third highest total in the event. That bar was a PR by two centimeters (one inch). Deal and Garrison have three events remaining, with the 60m hurdles, pole vault and 1,000-meter run.
The Boilermakers had several other PRs Friday. Jenna Halderman had an eight second PR in the 3,000m, finishing in 10:01.55. Mary Abramson had a 29-second PR in the same event, after crossing the finish line in 9:48.13. The freshman's time is within 13 seconds of the school's top 10. Alyssa Christoffer also PRed in the 3k, finishing in 9:49.92 to beat her previous best by more than 16 seconds. Seth Williams and Jake Hanawalt PRed in the men's 3k. Williams finished in 8:25.81, to beat his old best by three seconds, while Hanawalt finished in 8:31.23 to PR by a second. Dillon Hinen was also among the distance runners to PR. He ran a time of 4:11.60, which is his best by nearly three seconds.
Kinard Rolle had a pair of personal records Friday. First, he ran the fastest indoor 400m dash by Boilermaker since 2001, posting a time of 47.06 seconds to finish second in his heat. Rolle's time ties Dave Mills (1961) and Alvin McNair (1984) for the second fastest time in school history. Rolle finished ninth in the 400m, just one spot shy of qualifying for finals. He then competed in the 200m dash, where he finished with a time of 21.62 seconds. That was his best by 0.35 of a second.
Kendal Frederick and Shawndail McLaren also had their best career days in the indoor 400m dash. Frederick finished with a time of 47.68 seconds, while McLaren finished in 47.77 seconds. Those times were PRs by 0.52 of a second and 0.26 of a second, respectively.
Saturday's action begins at 10 a.m. ET when the heptathlon resumes with the 60m hurdles. The first field event is the women's high jump, which is scheduled to begin at 11.