Madison, Wis. – The Purdue men's and women's track & field teams are set to compete at Pre-Nationals, hosted by Wisconsin, on Saturday. The Boilermakers will be returning to the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course, where the program ran its last meet, the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invite, just two weeks ago.
The women are tabbed to take the starter's mark at 11:45 a.m. ET in the "White Race," with the men to follow at 1:15 p.m. ET.
Powerhouses throughout the USTFCCCA National Coaches Poll rankings will be in attendance. On the men's side, 12 of the top-15 ranked opponents will run, while 11 of the top-15 programs will be competing on the women's.
Jaret Carpenter led the Boilermakers to a ninth-place finish at the Nuttycombe Invite on Sept. 28, propelling Purdue to its first nationally-ranked status in the national coaches poll since the weekly recognition began. The Boilermakers were placed No. 12 in the nation for the largest leap of the top-30. Carpenter will be looking to beat his time of 23:38.5 in the 8k, which clocked in as the third-fastest time in program history last time around.
Emma Benner is coming off the Purdue women's top time at the Nuttycombe, registering a time of 21:02.4 in the 6k. In Benner's last Pre-National appearance, she finished 21st (20:35.8) against a loaded field in what was her first career 6,000-meter race.
The Boilermakers last competed in the NCAA Pre-Nationals in 2016, where the women finished 19th with 565 points, while the men were 16th with 499.
The women are tabbed to take the starter's mark at 11:45 a.m. ET in the "White Race," with the men to follow at 1:15 p.m. ET.
Powerhouses throughout the USTFCCCA National Coaches Poll rankings will be in attendance. On the men's side, 12 of the top-15 ranked opponents will run, while 11 of the top-15 programs will be competing on the women's.
Jaret Carpenter led the Boilermakers to a ninth-place finish at the Nuttycombe Invite on Sept. 28, propelling Purdue to its first nationally-ranked status in the national coaches poll since the weekly recognition began. The Boilermakers were placed No. 12 in the nation for the largest leap of the top-30. Carpenter will be looking to beat his time of 23:38.5 in the 8k, which clocked in as the third-fastest time in program history last time around.
Emma Benner is coming off the Purdue women's top time at the Nuttycombe, registering a time of 21:02.4 in the 6k. In Benner's last Pre-National appearance, she finished 21st (20:35.8) against a loaded field in what was her first career 6,000-meter race.
The Boilermakers last competed in the NCAA Pre-Nationals in 2016, where the women finished 19th with 565 points, while the men were 16th with 499.