NASHVILLE – The Purdue track & field team registered three times that rank in the top-10 in program history to highlight the opening day of competition at the Music City Challenge in Nashville and the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa.
Music City Challenge Friday Results | Iowa State Classic Friday Results | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Freshman Kerris Roberts and sophomore Camille Christopher ran the fifth and ninth-fastest 200-meter dash times in program history, respectively, while sophomore Bailey McIntire notched the ninth-fastest 5,000-meter time in team history.
Purdue totaled nine top-five overall finishes at the two meets in addition to 10 personal-best marks set. The majority of the Boilermaker squad competed at the Music City Challenge at Vanderbilt's Multipurpose Facility, while the distance runners ran at the Iowa State Classic at the Lied Recreation Athletic Center
"We showed a whole lot of competitiveness," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "We had a few personal-best performances, but the most important thing was the competitive spirit that the team brought today, which tells me that they're getting ready for the Big Ten Championships which are coming up in two weeks. We had some really good performances from our distance crew at Iowa State as well today, so I'm really pleased with where we are. We have another day tomorrow, so we'll see what happens."
Roberts' 200-meter time came in 23.91, the fifth-fastest time in the event in Purdue history. It bested her previous PR of 24.18, which was eighth-fastest. Christopher also improved on a time that already was in the Boilermaker record books, as her mark of 24.29 seconds now sits at No. 9 all-time.
Roberts and Christopher were two of three Boilermakers to finish in the top five in the event on Friday night. Roberts was third overall, Christopher was fourth and sophomore Jae'Nisa Heckstall placed fifth thanks to a personal-best time of 24.38.
McIntire entered the school record books thanks to a time of 14:20.92 in the 5,000-meter run. It was the ninth-fastest time in school history as he improved on his PR by nearly eight seconds.
Three Boilermaker seniors – Samson Colebrooke, Janae' Moffitt and Brody Smith – all won their events on Friday. Moffitt's win opened the meet in Nashville, as she earned a high jump mark of 1.79 meters. Colebrooke's victory was in the 200-meter, thanks to a time of 21.06, while Smith was first in the 3,000-meter open event at Iowa State with a time of 8:07.78.
Junior Megan Slamkowski placed second overall in the women's 5,000-meter open event in Ames. She finished in 16:57.14 to set a new personal-best time by more than 15 seconds.
Senior Jaden Mattox and sophomore Isaiah Martin each notched top-five finishes in the long jump. Mattox was third in the women's event with a mark of 5.89 meters, while Martin's personal-best score of 7.33 meters was good for fifth place in the men's competition.
Additionally, junior Kyle Griffith (3,000-meter run, 8:21.95), sophomores Tyler Bowling (5,000-meter run, 14:21.81) and Ife Oketona (long jump, 7.07 meters) and freshman Simi Akinrinsola (weight throw, 15.90 meters) all added personal-best marks to open competition on Friday.
The Boilermakers' weekend concludes on Saturday. The Music City Challenge begins with field events at 11:30 a.m. ET/10:30 a.m. CT and running events at 12:20 p.m. ET/11:20 a.m. CT. Freshman Ellie Tate will represent Purdue at the Iowa State Classic and run in the mile at approximately 1:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. CT.
Live results of the Music City Challenge are available at CFPItiming.com, while a complete event schedule can be found at VUCommodores.com. Fans can follow live results of the Iowa State Classic at PTTiming.com and view the event schedule at Cyclones.com. Additionally, FloTrack will stream the Iowa State Classic, and a subscription is required. Updates and behind-the-scenes news and notes on the Boilermakers throughout the weekend can be found on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
For more on the Purdue track and field team, visit PurdueSports.com and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Music City Challenge Friday Results | Iowa State Classic Friday Results | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Freshman Kerris Roberts and sophomore Camille Christopher ran the fifth and ninth-fastest 200-meter dash times in program history, respectively, while sophomore Bailey McIntire notched the ninth-fastest 5,000-meter time in team history.
Purdue totaled nine top-five overall finishes at the two meets in addition to 10 personal-best marks set. The majority of the Boilermaker squad competed at the Music City Challenge at Vanderbilt's Multipurpose Facility, while the distance runners ran at the Iowa State Classic at the Lied Recreation Athletic Center
"We showed a whole lot of competitiveness," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "We had a few personal-best performances, but the most important thing was the competitive spirit that the team brought today, which tells me that they're getting ready for the Big Ten Championships which are coming up in two weeks. We had some really good performances from our distance crew at Iowa State as well today, so I'm really pleased with where we are. We have another day tomorrow, so we'll see what happens."
Roberts' 200-meter time came in 23.91, the fifth-fastest time in the event in Purdue history. It bested her previous PR of 24.18, which was eighth-fastest. Christopher also improved on a time that already was in the Boilermaker record books, as her mark of 24.29 seconds now sits at No. 9 all-time.
Roberts and Christopher were two of three Boilermakers to finish in the top five in the event on Friday night. Roberts was third overall, Christopher was fourth and sophomore Jae'Nisa Heckstall placed fifth thanks to a personal-best time of 24.38.
McIntire entered the school record books thanks to a time of 14:20.92 in the 5,000-meter run. It was the ninth-fastest time in school history as he improved on his PR by nearly eight seconds.
Three Boilermaker seniors – Samson Colebrooke, Janae' Moffitt and Brody Smith – all won their events on Friday. Moffitt's win opened the meet in Nashville, as she earned a high jump mark of 1.79 meters. Colebrooke's victory was in the 200-meter, thanks to a time of 21.06, while Smith was first in the 3,000-meter open event at Iowa State with a time of 8:07.78.
Junior Megan Slamkowski placed second overall in the women's 5,000-meter open event in Ames. She finished in 16:57.14 to set a new personal-best time by more than 15 seconds.
Senior Jaden Mattox and sophomore Isaiah Martin each notched top-five finishes in the long jump. Mattox was third in the women's event with a mark of 5.89 meters, while Martin's personal-best score of 7.33 meters was good for fifth place in the men's competition.
Additionally, junior Kyle Griffith (3,000-meter run, 8:21.95), sophomores Tyler Bowling (5,000-meter run, 14:21.81) and Ife Oketona (long jump, 7.07 meters) and freshman Simi Akinrinsola (weight throw, 15.90 meters) all added personal-best marks to open competition on Friday.
The Boilermakers' weekend concludes on Saturday. The Music City Challenge begins with field events at 11:30 a.m. ET/10:30 a.m. CT and running events at 12:20 p.m. ET/11:20 a.m. CT. Freshman Ellie Tate will represent Purdue at the Iowa State Classic and run in the mile at approximately 1:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. CT.
Live results of the Music City Challenge are available at CFPItiming.com, while a complete event schedule can be found at VUCommodores.com. Fans can follow live results of the Iowa State Classic at PTTiming.com and view the event schedule at Cyclones.com. Additionally, FloTrack will stream the Iowa State Classic, and a subscription is required. Updates and behind-the-scenes news and notes on the Boilermakers throughout the weekend can be found on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
For more on the Purdue track and field team, visit PurdueSports.com and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.