WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue track & field team returns to action and hosts 13 teams in the Gene Edmonds Memorial Invitational from January 10-11, at Lambert Fieldhouse.
The meet is scheduled for 2:30 – 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 10, and 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11. A complete schedule of events is available on PurdueSports.com. Admission is free, and all fans can pick up the 2019-20 Purdue track & field schedule poster. On Saturday, free Purdue water bottles will be given out to fans while supplies last.
For fans unable to cheer on the Boilermakers in person, live stats will be available at PTTiming.com, and updates also can be found on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Boilermakers will host in-state foes Ball State, Butler, Calumet College of St. Joseph and IUPUI, along with Alabama State, Austin Peay, the University of The Bahamas, Lindenwood, Louisville, Maryville, Northwestern, Southeast Missouri State and UW Milwaukee.
"We're excited to get the season going, the first meet of the new year," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "We're looking to shake the rust off, we've been away for the holidays, but for the most part, everybody's healthy, we have a few kids that are dinged up. It's always good, and fortunate, to open up at home, to get a good start and to get a good psychological uplift, and then we'll go from here. We have 13 teams coming here this weekend, which will provide good competition for our team. I am looking forward to a really good season."
This weekend's meet marks a return to action after more than a month off for Purdue, which opened its season at home on Dec. 7, with the Fred Wilt Open. The Gene Edmonds Memorial Invite is the final home meet of the season for Elliott's squad.
In the Rankings
In the Preseason Indoor Track & Field National Rating Index, the Purdue men are ranked No. 37 and the women are No. 62 nationally. Individually, 10 Boilermakers earned national rankings, with seven in the top-16 and four in the top 11.
Senior Janae' Moffitt is No. 6 in the country in the women's high jump, while junior Jalil Brewer comes in at No. 8 in the men's shot put. Also in the preseason top-16 national rankings are senior Jah Strange (No. 11) and junior Tamar Greene (No. 14) in the men's triple jump, junior Waseem Williams (No. 11) and senior Samson Colebrooke (No. 16) in the 60-meter dash and senior Jaret Carpenter (No. 14) in the 5000-meter.
The Louisville women come to West Lafayette ranked No. 20 in the country, with four individuals in the top-15. The Northwestern women are No. 70, with one top-10 individual ranking. The Louisville men (No. 122) and Southeast Missouri State women (No. 128) also appear in the preseason rankings.
A complete breakdown of Purdue's national rankings is available here.
Last Time Out: Fred Wilt Open
The Boilermakers opened the 2019-20 indoor season with 10 victories at the Fred Wilt Open on Dec. 7. Four of their 10 victories came from freshmen and three from sophomores, while seven of the 10 wins also came with a second-place finish. Additionally, three personal-best marks were set by returning student-athletes.
Freshman Kerris Roberts recorded one of Purdue's 10 victories, as she won the 60-meter dash with a 7.53, the seventh-fastest time in program history.
Duo Earn Big Ten Athlete of the Week Accolades
Thanks to impressive performances to open the year on Dec. 7, seniors Samson Colebrooke and Jah Strange were named the season's first Big Ten Men's Track and Field Athletes of the Week, on Dec. 11. The men's indoor accolades are the first for a Boilermaker since Purdue collected seven field athlete of the weeks in 2016 and one track weekly award in 2015.
Colebrooke won the 60-meter dash finals on Dec. 7, with a time of 6.72, the second-fastest time in the nation and the fastest in the Big Ten at the time. He also competed in the 4x400 relay and ran second as the Boilermakers notched a 3.24.89.
Strange posted a pair of runner-up finishes at the Fred Wilt Open, thanks to a 6.93m in the long jump and a 15.92m in the triple jump. His triple jump mark was the second-longest in the nation and the best in the Big Ten on the opening weekend. Additionally, Strange ran in the 60-meter dash prelims and notched a time of 6.95, the fourth-fastest at the meet and tied for fourth-fastest among Big Ten runners.
Looking Back at Last Season's Gene Edmonds Invitational
At last year's Gene Edmonds Invitational, Purdue opened the 2019 season with 11 victories and 43 top-five finishes on January 12, 2019.
Wins were recorded by Emma Benner (one mile), Brittney Campbell (800-meter), Amaya Chadwick (60-meter hurdles), Samson Colebrooke (200-meter), Vivette Green (200-meter), Kyelah Hodges (400-meter), Jordan Hollis (400-meter), Isaiah Martin (60-meter hurdles) Samara Miller (600-meter), Janae' Moffitt (high jump) and Waseem Williams (60-meter hurdles).
Chadwick, a freshman at the time, saw her 60-meter hurdles time of 8.50 register as the eighth-fastest time in Purdue history at the time.
The Boilermakers also won the women's 4x400-meter relay by nine seconds.
Up Next: Larry Wieczorek Invitational
Purdue travels to Iowa City, Iowa, for the Larry Wieczorek Invitational from Jan. 17-18. The meet commences on Friday, Jan. 17, with field events at 10:30 a.m. ET/9:30 a.m. CT, and running events beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT. Saturday's competition begins at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT.
For more on the Purdue track and field team, visit PurdueSports.com and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The meet is scheduled for 2:30 – 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 10, and 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11. A complete schedule of events is available on PurdueSports.com. Admission is free, and all fans can pick up the 2019-20 Purdue track & field schedule poster. On Saturday, free Purdue water bottles will be given out to fans while supplies last.
For fans unable to cheer on the Boilermakers in person, live stats will be available at PTTiming.com, and updates also can be found on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Boilermakers will host in-state foes Ball State, Butler, Calumet College of St. Joseph and IUPUI, along with Alabama State, Austin Peay, the University of The Bahamas, Lindenwood, Louisville, Maryville, Northwestern, Southeast Missouri State and UW Milwaukee.
"We're excited to get the season going, the first meet of the new year," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "We're looking to shake the rust off, we've been away for the holidays, but for the most part, everybody's healthy, we have a few kids that are dinged up. It's always good, and fortunate, to open up at home, to get a good start and to get a good psychological uplift, and then we'll go from here. We have 13 teams coming here this weekend, which will provide good competition for our team. I am looking forward to a really good season."
This weekend's meet marks a return to action after more than a month off for Purdue, which opened its season at home on Dec. 7, with the Fred Wilt Open. The Gene Edmonds Memorial Invite is the final home meet of the season for Elliott's squad.
In the Rankings
In the Preseason Indoor Track & Field National Rating Index, the Purdue men are ranked No. 37 and the women are No. 62 nationally. Individually, 10 Boilermakers earned national rankings, with seven in the top-16 and four in the top 11.
Senior Janae' Moffitt is No. 6 in the country in the women's high jump, while junior Jalil Brewer comes in at No. 8 in the men's shot put. Also in the preseason top-16 national rankings are senior Jah Strange (No. 11) and junior Tamar Greene (No. 14) in the men's triple jump, junior Waseem Williams (No. 11) and senior Samson Colebrooke (No. 16) in the 60-meter dash and senior Jaret Carpenter (No. 14) in the 5000-meter.
The Louisville women come to West Lafayette ranked No. 20 in the country, with four individuals in the top-15. The Northwestern women are No. 70, with one top-10 individual ranking. The Louisville men (No. 122) and Southeast Missouri State women (No. 128) also appear in the preseason rankings.
A complete breakdown of Purdue's national rankings is available here.
Last Time Out: Fred Wilt Open
The Boilermakers opened the 2019-20 indoor season with 10 victories at the Fred Wilt Open on Dec. 7. Four of their 10 victories came from freshmen and three from sophomores, while seven of the 10 wins also came with a second-place finish. Additionally, three personal-best marks were set by returning student-athletes.
Freshman Kerris Roberts recorded one of Purdue's 10 victories, as she won the 60-meter dash with a 7.53, the seventh-fastest time in program history.
Duo Earn Big Ten Athlete of the Week Accolades
Thanks to impressive performances to open the year on Dec. 7, seniors Samson Colebrooke and Jah Strange were named the season's first Big Ten Men's Track and Field Athletes of the Week, on Dec. 11. The men's indoor accolades are the first for a Boilermaker since Purdue collected seven field athlete of the weeks in 2016 and one track weekly award in 2015.
Colebrooke won the 60-meter dash finals on Dec. 7, with a time of 6.72, the second-fastest time in the nation and the fastest in the Big Ten at the time. He also competed in the 4x400 relay and ran second as the Boilermakers notched a 3.24.89.
Strange posted a pair of runner-up finishes at the Fred Wilt Open, thanks to a 6.93m in the long jump and a 15.92m in the triple jump. His triple jump mark was the second-longest in the nation and the best in the Big Ten on the opening weekend. Additionally, Strange ran in the 60-meter dash prelims and notched a time of 6.95, the fourth-fastest at the meet and tied for fourth-fastest among Big Ten runners.
Looking Back at Last Season's Gene Edmonds Invitational
At last year's Gene Edmonds Invitational, Purdue opened the 2019 season with 11 victories and 43 top-five finishes on January 12, 2019.
Wins were recorded by Emma Benner (one mile), Brittney Campbell (800-meter), Amaya Chadwick (60-meter hurdles), Samson Colebrooke (200-meter), Vivette Green (200-meter), Kyelah Hodges (400-meter), Jordan Hollis (400-meter), Isaiah Martin (60-meter hurdles) Samara Miller (600-meter), Janae' Moffitt (high jump) and Waseem Williams (60-meter hurdles).
Chadwick, a freshman at the time, saw her 60-meter hurdles time of 8.50 register as the eighth-fastest time in Purdue history at the time.
The Boilermakers also won the women's 4x400-meter relay by nine seconds.
Up Next: Larry Wieczorek Invitational
Purdue travels to Iowa City, Iowa, for the Larry Wieczorek Invitational from Jan. 17-18. The meet commences on Friday, Jan. 17, with field events at 10:30 a.m. ET/9:30 a.m. CT, and running events beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT. Saturday's competition begins at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT.
For more on the Purdue track and field team, visit PurdueSports.com and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.