WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue track & field and cross country coach Norbert Elliott has announced the program's 2021 signing class, which will begin their Boilermaker careers in 2021-22.
This year's signing class features Praise Aniamaka (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada), Sarah Busch (Fort Wayne, Indiana), K.J. Cook (Buena Vista, Virginia), Brett Otterbacher (Valparaiso, Indiana), Emma Squires (Petoskey, Michigan) and Nathan Walker (Fremont, Michigan).
Aniamaka is the No 1 junior triple jumper in Canada, while Busch is a cross country conference champion from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Cook is a graduate transfer who earned honorable mention All-America accolades and was named the CAA Field Athlete of the Year in 2019. Otterbacher, a native of Valparaiso, Indiana, comes to Purdue as one of the best 400-meter runners in the Midwest. Both Squires and Walker won individual and team state cross country championships in Michigan.
The class, which will don the Purdue uniform for the first time during the 2021-22 cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field campaign, consists of three distance runners, one long sprinter, one jumper and one thrower. Two signees are Indiana natives, two come from Michigan, one is from Virginia and one comes to West Lafayette from Canada.
PRAISE ANIAMAKA – JUMPS, SURREY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA (PACIFIC ACADEMY)
The best junior triple jumper in Canada and a Canadian record-holder, Praise Aniamaka comes to West Lafayette from Surrey, British Columbia, where he attends Pacific Academy and is coached by Iuliana Kroeger. Aniamaka holds the U-18 Canadian indoor triple jump record, with a mark of 15.00 meters, and he is a three-time provincial champion in the triple jump. Additionally, he is a three-time provincial runner-up in the 300-meter hurdles.
Aniamaka intends to major in integrated business and engineering at Purdue, and he would like to pursue a career as a financial advisor or project manager after he earns his degree. His parents are Precious and Jasper, and he has two siblings.
Aniamaka on Purdue: "I choose Purdue because I was confident that they were more than capable of supporting me to reach both my athletic and academic goals. The coaches here have the athletes' best interest in mind and are as passionate about the sport as I am. Academically, Purdue speaks for itself, as it nears the top of the ranking year after year. All that being said, I know Purdue will equip me to be the best I can be in every area of life."
Coach Elliott on Aniamaka: "Praise is the No. 1 junior triple jumper in Canada. He was highly recruited and is an excellent student. He chose Purdue because of our strong engineering program and the recent triple jump success that we've had with Jah Strange and Tamar Greene, both recent NCAA Championships qualifiers. Praise exhibits all the raw tools necessary to be a really good triple jumper, and we are excited to have him come to Purdue."
SARAH BUSCH – DISTANCE, FORT WAYNE, INDIANA (BISHOP LUERS HS)
A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Sarah Busch attends Bishop Luers High and is a distance runner for coach Nichole Crouch. The 2020 cross country conference champion, Busch has qualified for the state championship meet four times, three in cross country (2018, '19 and '20) and once in track & field, where she earned berths in the 3,200-meter event and the distance medley relay in 2019. She received cross country all-state accolades in 2019 and cross country all-conference honors from 2018-20 and qualified for track & field regionals in the 1,600 in 2018 and the 1,600 and 3,200 in 2019. Busch owns two school records, in the 5,000, with a time of 18:34.0, and the 3,200, with a mark of 11:27.84. Additionally, her personal-best time in the 1,600 is 5:21.9. She also is an all-conference swimmer at Bishop Luers.
As a student, Busch has been named to the high honor roll each of her first three years of high school. In 2020, she was recognized with the Excellence in Visual Arts award.
Bush plans to major in industrial design at Purdue and aspires to work for an athletic company designing running shoes following graduation. Her parents are Jennifer and William, and she has five siblings.
Busch on Purdue: "Purdue has been my dream school since I was in middle school. I have older siblings that attend Purdue, and I always loved and looked forward to visiting them because I loved the environment at Purdue. When I visited and saw the facilities and got a feel for the culture, I knew this would be my home for the next four years!"
Coach Elliott on Busch: "We are excited to have Sarah join our program, she is a strong runner who will help us particularly in cross country. Sarah has huge potential and is going to develop into a strong runner on the track. She also brings a very good academic background to Purdue."
K.J. COOK – THROWS, BUENA VISTA, VIRGINIA (WILLIAM & MARY, PARRY McCLUER HS)
K.J. Cook is a thrower who comes to Purdue as a graduate transfer from William & Mary, where he earned honorable mention All-America accolades in 2019 and was named the Colonial Athletic Association Most Outstanding Field Performer at the 2019 conference championships. Cook placed 24th at the 2019 NCAA Championships in the discus and was the first student-athlete in CAA history to qualify for the national meet in three separate events in the same season, earning bids in the shot put, discus and hammer throw. His NCAA feat came after he won CAA titles in the discus and hammer. Cook was recognized as the CAA Rookie of the Year in 2018 and qualified for the NCAA Championships in the discus. His personal-best marks indoors are 18.20 meters in the shot put and 19.61m in the weight throw, while he has personal-record marks outdoors of 17.37m in the shot put, 56.73m in the discus and 60.70m in the hammer.
A native of Buena Vista, Virginia, Cook is a four-time Virginia state champion. He attended Parry McCluer High and competed for coaches Danny Cole and Matthew Douglas. Cook won two state titles in the discus and two championships in the shot put and collected nine all-state honors in his high school career. Cook set both the shot put (58-1) and discuss (178-3) records at Parry McCluer. He also played football and basketball, where he earned all-state honors on the gridiron as a running back.
Academically, Cook will earn his undergraduate degree in finance from William & Mary with honors. He earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors and was honored on the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team. Cook was named to the CAA Academic Honor Roll, is a four-time recipient of the provost award and has been named to the dean's list four times. A member of the National Honor Society, he was named to the honor roll all four years at Parry McCluer and was the recipient of the chamber of commerce scholarship.
Cook intends to earn his masters of science degree in finance from Purdue's Krannert School of Management and would like to pursue a career as an investment analyst. His parents are Avis and Kelly, Sr., and he has three siblings.
Cook on Purdue: "The COVID-19 pandemic unfortunately faced the College of William and Mary with making the decision to discontinue Track & Field. Although the team has been temporarily reinstated, I feel that Purdue's masters of science in finance will best aid me in moving up the ladder in my place of future employment. Another reason I feel that Purdue is a great fit for me is because I am an all-around competitor and I feel strongly that I can help the team accomplish whatever shared goals may be set for the future!"
Coach Elliott on Cook: "KJ has developed into one of the better discus throwers in the East Region, and was an NCAA finalist in 2019. He also was a regional qualifier in the hammer throw and is competitive in the shot put. He will be pursuing a master's of finance degree from Krannert and will graduate from William & Mary with honors in finance. KJ is very blue-collar when it comes to his work ethic, and we look forward to having him join our team."
BRETT OTTERBACHER – LONG SPRINTS, VALPARAISO, INDIANA (VALPARAISO HS)
A Valparaiso, Indiana, native, Brett Otterbacher attends Valparaiso High and competes for coach Matt Hefner in the 200, 400, 800 and 1600-meter relay. In 2019, Otterbacher won the sectional and regional championship and placed third at the state meet in the 400-meter. He was fourth in the state in the event in 2018. In the 4x400-meter relay, Otterbacher helped his team to two sectional championships, a DAC title and a fifth-place state finish. He is a two-time first team all-conference honoree and was named to the 2019 Post Tribune All-Area Track & Field Team. Otterbacher's top 400-meter time is 47.48, which is the 19th-fastest time in the event in state history, while his best mark in the 800 is 1:57.90.
Additionally, Otterbacher helped the football team to back-to-back DAC, sectional and regional championships, while the squad was the state runner-up in 2019. In 2020, the team was crowned sectional champions. He also was part of the winningest junior-varsity basketball team in school history.
In the classroom, Otterbacher is a National Honors Society honoree and earned 2020 academic all-state honorable mention accolades in track & field.
Otterbacher plans to major in civil engineering at Purdue and aspires to be an architect or build and design residential and commercial properties. His parents, who are both Purdue graduates, are Christine and Jon, and he has a twin sister and a brother.
Otterbacher on Purdue: "My parents raised me to be a Boiler fan. As I got older, I learned their enthusiasm for their alma mater was well-founded based on the quality of education they received. When I realized I might be capable of competing at the collegiate level, I began to follow Purdue's track successes and was impressed with the direction of the program. Purdue's excellent athletic and academic facilities, along with the interest their coaching staff showed in me throughout the recruitment process, convinced me that Purdue was where I would excel the most both in and out of the classroom."
Coach Elliott on Otterbacher: "Brett is the best quarter milers in the state and one of the best in the Midwest. He is a prototypical quarter miler and has the size, strength and speed. He has had limited training, he played football, so we feel like he has a huge upside. Additionally, he is an excellent student. It's no surprise that he chose Purdue, as his mom, dad and grandparents all went here, and he's from right up the street in Valparaiso. We want to recruit the state's best talent to Purdue, so we are fortunate to have Brett become a Boilermaker. He's undoubtedly a Purdue student-athlete, with the athletic skillset as well as the academic skillset."
EMMA SQUIRES – DISTANCE, PETOSKEY, MICHIGAN (PETOSKEY HS)
A D2 cross country individual and team state champion, Emma Squires is a distance runner from Petoskey Michigan. She attends Petoskey High and runs for coach David Farley, where she was named varsity team captain twice. On the cross country course, Squires is a three-time all-state honoree, a two-time individual regional champion and has earned four all-conference and four all-region accolades. Along with the team state title, she has helped her squad to a conference title, three regional championships and a state runner-up finish. On the track, Squires earned five all-conference accolades in three events, two all-region honors and earned all-state recognition in three events. She won a regional championship in the 3,200 and was runner-up in the 1,600. Additionally, Squires qualified for New Balance Nationals in the two mile championship race in 2020. Her personal best times are 17:26 in the 5k (cross country), 2:19 in the 800, 4:58 in the 1,600 and 10:42 in the 3,200.
Additionally, Squires was on the downhill skiing team as a freshman and sophomore. She earned all-region and honorable all-state accolades and helped her team to a regional championship and a state runner-up finish.
As a student, Squires earned four academic all-state honors, three in cross country and once in track. In 2019, Petoskey High was named the team academic state champions.
Squires looks to pursue a degree in engineering or business at Purdue, and would like to work as an industrial manager or engineer after graduating. Her parents, who both graduated from Purdue, are Michele and Tom, and she has one sibling. Squires' second cousin is former Purdue track & field and cross country student-athlete Jenna Halderman.
Squires on Purdue: "For the longest time I knew I wanted to go to school in the Big Ten, and being able to run there also was a huge dream. After looking at several schools, Purdue's small team and great team atmosphere drew me to pick it. My extensive list of family-member alumni also urged me to make this decision by sharing their great experiences at this school."
Coach Elliott on Squires: "Emma Squires is a very talented and versatile runner. She is the 2020 cross country state champion and will help us in cross country, the 3K and the 5K. Both of her parents are Purdue grads. Emma is a natural leader with a very optimistic view about her upcoming Purdue experience. She also has done well in the classroom, and we look forward to having her on our team."
NATHAN WALKER – DISTANCE, FREMONT, MICHIGAN (FREMONT HS)
Nathan Walker is a D2 cross country individual and two-time team state champion. He comes to Purdue from Fremont, Michigan, where he is a student at Fremont High and is a distance runner for coach Cliff Somers. Walker is a four-time all-state, all-region and first team all-conference honoree in cross country. In three years as a team captain, he helped Fremont win the state championship in 2019 and '20 and finish second in 2018 to go along with his individual state crown in 2020. On the track, Walker collected all-state accolades in 2019 and was named to both the all-region and all-conference squads in 2018 and '19 while serving as team captain both years. Additionally, he competed at the 2019 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championship, where he placed 28th. Walker owns three school records, with a 14:52 in the 5,000 (cross country), a 4:16 in the 1,600 and a 9:10 in the 3,200. He also owns a personal-best time of 1:59 in the 800.
In the classroom, Walker was recognized on the academic all-state team three times, in 2018, '19 and '20.
Walker hopes to major in secondary education and aspires to be a high school math teacher after earning his Purdue degree. His parents are Michele and Benji, and he has one sibling.
Walker on Purdue: "I chose Purdue because it is a place where I can thrive academically and athletically. I know that the coaches are committed to what they do and want the best for me and everyone in the program. The team culture also was a big factor, I wanted to be surrounded by other hard-working people. The campus also was also super nice, and it seems like a fun place to live."
Coach Elliott on Walker: "Nathan Walker comes to us as the 2020 state cross country champion. He is a Foot Locker finalist and was third at his Foot Locker Midwest Regionals. Nathan will be able to help us greatly in cross country as well as on the track, possibly as a miler. He also has a strong academic background, and we are excited to have him be a Boilermaker."
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
This year's signing class features Praise Aniamaka (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada), Sarah Busch (Fort Wayne, Indiana), K.J. Cook (Buena Vista, Virginia), Brett Otterbacher (Valparaiso, Indiana), Emma Squires (Petoskey, Michigan) and Nathan Walker (Fremont, Michigan).
Aniamaka is the No 1 junior triple jumper in Canada, while Busch is a cross country conference champion from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Cook is a graduate transfer who earned honorable mention All-America accolades and was named the CAA Field Athlete of the Year in 2019. Otterbacher, a native of Valparaiso, Indiana, comes to Purdue as one of the best 400-meter runners in the Midwest. Both Squires and Walker won individual and team state cross country championships in Michigan.
The class, which will don the Purdue uniform for the first time during the 2021-22 cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field campaign, consists of three distance runners, one long sprinter, one jumper and one thrower. Two signees are Indiana natives, two come from Michigan, one is from Virginia and one comes to West Lafayette from Canada.
PRAISE ANIAMAKA – JUMPS, SURREY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA (PACIFIC ACADEMY)
The best junior triple jumper in Canada and a Canadian record-holder, Praise Aniamaka comes to West Lafayette from Surrey, British Columbia, where he attends Pacific Academy and is coached by Iuliana Kroeger. Aniamaka holds the U-18 Canadian indoor triple jump record, with a mark of 15.00 meters, and he is a three-time provincial champion in the triple jump. Additionally, he is a three-time provincial runner-up in the 300-meter hurdles.
Aniamaka intends to major in integrated business and engineering at Purdue, and he would like to pursue a career as a financial advisor or project manager after he earns his degree. His parents are Precious and Jasper, and he has two siblings.
Aniamaka on Purdue: "I choose Purdue because I was confident that they were more than capable of supporting me to reach both my athletic and academic goals. The coaches here have the athletes' best interest in mind and are as passionate about the sport as I am. Academically, Purdue speaks for itself, as it nears the top of the ranking year after year. All that being said, I know Purdue will equip me to be the best I can be in every area of life."
Coach Elliott on Aniamaka: "Praise is the No. 1 junior triple jumper in Canada. He was highly recruited and is an excellent student. He chose Purdue because of our strong engineering program and the recent triple jump success that we've had with Jah Strange and Tamar Greene, both recent NCAA Championships qualifiers. Praise exhibits all the raw tools necessary to be a really good triple jumper, and we are excited to have him come to Purdue."
SARAH BUSCH – DISTANCE, FORT WAYNE, INDIANA (BISHOP LUERS HS)
A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Sarah Busch attends Bishop Luers High and is a distance runner for coach Nichole Crouch. The 2020 cross country conference champion, Busch has qualified for the state championship meet four times, three in cross country (2018, '19 and '20) and once in track & field, where she earned berths in the 3,200-meter event and the distance medley relay in 2019. She received cross country all-state accolades in 2019 and cross country all-conference honors from 2018-20 and qualified for track & field regionals in the 1,600 in 2018 and the 1,600 and 3,200 in 2019. Busch owns two school records, in the 5,000, with a time of 18:34.0, and the 3,200, with a mark of 11:27.84. Additionally, her personal-best time in the 1,600 is 5:21.9. She also is an all-conference swimmer at Bishop Luers.
As a student, Busch has been named to the high honor roll each of her first three years of high school. In 2020, she was recognized with the Excellence in Visual Arts award.
Bush plans to major in industrial design at Purdue and aspires to work for an athletic company designing running shoes following graduation. Her parents are Jennifer and William, and she has five siblings.
Busch on Purdue: "Purdue has been my dream school since I was in middle school. I have older siblings that attend Purdue, and I always loved and looked forward to visiting them because I loved the environment at Purdue. When I visited and saw the facilities and got a feel for the culture, I knew this would be my home for the next four years!"
Coach Elliott on Busch: "We are excited to have Sarah join our program, she is a strong runner who will help us particularly in cross country. Sarah has huge potential and is going to develop into a strong runner on the track. She also brings a very good academic background to Purdue."
K.J. COOK – THROWS, BUENA VISTA, VIRGINIA (WILLIAM & MARY, PARRY McCLUER HS)
K.J. Cook is a thrower who comes to Purdue as a graduate transfer from William & Mary, where he earned honorable mention All-America accolades in 2019 and was named the Colonial Athletic Association Most Outstanding Field Performer at the 2019 conference championships. Cook placed 24th at the 2019 NCAA Championships in the discus and was the first student-athlete in CAA history to qualify for the national meet in three separate events in the same season, earning bids in the shot put, discus and hammer throw. His NCAA feat came after he won CAA titles in the discus and hammer. Cook was recognized as the CAA Rookie of the Year in 2018 and qualified for the NCAA Championships in the discus. His personal-best marks indoors are 18.20 meters in the shot put and 19.61m in the weight throw, while he has personal-record marks outdoors of 17.37m in the shot put, 56.73m in the discus and 60.70m in the hammer.
A native of Buena Vista, Virginia, Cook is a four-time Virginia state champion. He attended Parry McCluer High and competed for coaches Danny Cole and Matthew Douglas. Cook won two state titles in the discus and two championships in the shot put and collected nine all-state honors in his high school career. Cook set both the shot put (58-1) and discuss (178-3) records at Parry McCluer. He also played football and basketball, where he earned all-state honors on the gridiron as a running back.
Academically, Cook will earn his undergraduate degree in finance from William & Mary with honors. He earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors and was honored on the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team. Cook was named to the CAA Academic Honor Roll, is a four-time recipient of the provost award and has been named to the dean's list four times. A member of the National Honor Society, he was named to the honor roll all four years at Parry McCluer and was the recipient of the chamber of commerce scholarship.
Cook intends to earn his masters of science degree in finance from Purdue's Krannert School of Management and would like to pursue a career as an investment analyst. His parents are Avis and Kelly, Sr., and he has three siblings.
Cook on Purdue: "The COVID-19 pandemic unfortunately faced the College of William and Mary with making the decision to discontinue Track & Field. Although the team has been temporarily reinstated, I feel that Purdue's masters of science in finance will best aid me in moving up the ladder in my place of future employment. Another reason I feel that Purdue is a great fit for me is because I am an all-around competitor and I feel strongly that I can help the team accomplish whatever shared goals may be set for the future!"
Coach Elliott on Cook: "KJ has developed into one of the better discus throwers in the East Region, and was an NCAA finalist in 2019. He also was a regional qualifier in the hammer throw and is competitive in the shot put. He will be pursuing a master's of finance degree from Krannert and will graduate from William & Mary with honors in finance. KJ is very blue-collar when it comes to his work ethic, and we look forward to having him join our team."
BRETT OTTERBACHER – LONG SPRINTS, VALPARAISO, INDIANA (VALPARAISO HS)
A Valparaiso, Indiana, native, Brett Otterbacher attends Valparaiso High and competes for coach Matt Hefner in the 200, 400, 800 and 1600-meter relay. In 2019, Otterbacher won the sectional and regional championship and placed third at the state meet in the 400-meter. He was fourth in the state in the event in 2018. In the 4x400-meter relay, Otterbacher helped his team to two sectional championships, a DAC title and a fifth-place state finish. He is a two-time first team all-conference honoree and was named to the 2019 Post Tribune All-Area Track & Field Team. Otterbacher's top 400-meter time is 47.48, which is the 19th-fastest time in the event in state history, while his best mark in the 800 is 1:57.90.
Additionally, Otterbacher helped the football team to back-to-back DAC, sectional and regional championships, while the squad was the state runner-up in 2019. In 2020, the team was crowned sectional champions. He also was part of the winningest junior-varsity basketball team in school history.
In the classroom, Otterbacher is a National Honors Society honoree and earned 2020 academic all-state honorable mention accolades in track & field.
Otterbacher plans to major in civil engineering at Purdue and aspires to be an architect or build and design residential and commercial properties. His parents, who are both Purdue graduates, are Christine and Jon, and he has a twin sister and a brother.
Otterbacher on Purdue: "My parents raised me to be a Boiler fan. As I got older, I learned their enthusiasm for their alma mater was well-founded based on the quality of education they received. When I realized I might be capable of competing at the collegiate level, I began to follow Purdue's track successes and was impressed with the direction of the program. Purdue's excellent athletic and academic facilities, along with the interest their coaching staff showed in me throughout the recruitment process, convinced me that Purdue was where I would excel the most both in and out of the classroom."
Coach Elliott on Otterbacher: "Brett is the best quarter milers in the state and one of the best in the Midwest. He is a prototypical quarter miler and has the size, strength and speed. He has had limited training, he played football, so we feel like he has a huge upside. Additionally, he is an excellent student. It's no surprise that he chose Purdue, as his mom, dad and grandparents all went here, and he's from right up the street in Valparaiso. We want to recruit the state's best talent to Purdue, so we are fortunate to have Brett become a Boilermaker. He's undoubtedly a Purdue student-athlete, with the athletic skillset as well as the academic skillset."
EMMA SQUIRES – DISTANCE, PETOSKEY, MICHIGAN (PETOSKEY HS)
A D2 cross country individual and team state champion, Emma Squires is a distance runner from Petoskey Michigan. She attends Petoskey High and runs for coach David Farley, where she was named varsity team captain twice. On the cross country course, Squires is a three-time all-state honoree, a two-time individual regional champion and has earned four all-conference and four all-region accolades. Along with the team state title, she has helped her squad to a conference title, three regional championships and a state runner-up finish. On the track, Squires earned five all-conference accolades in three events, two all-region honors and earned all-state recognition in three events. She won a regional championship in the 3,200 and was runner-up in the 1,600. Additionally, Squires qualified for New Balance Nationals in the two mile championship race in 2020. Her personal best times are 17:26 in the 5k (cross country), 2:19 in the 800, 4:58 in the 1,600 and 10:42 in the 3,200.
Additionally, Squires was on the downhill skiing team as a freshman and sophomore. She earned all-region and honorable all-state accolades and helped her team to a regional championship and a state runner-up finish.
As a student, Squires earned four academic all-state honors, three in cross country and once in track. In 2019, Petoskey High was named the team academic state champions.
Squires looks to pursue a degree in engineering or business at Purdue, and would like to work as an industrial manager or engineer after graduating. Her parents, who both graduated from Purdue, are Michele and Tom, and she has one sibling. Squires' second cousin is former Purdue track & field and cross country student-athlete Jenna Halderman.
Squires on Purdue: "For the longest time I knew I wanted to go to school in the Big Ten, and being able to run there also was a huge dream. After looking at several schools, Purdue's small team and great team atmosphere drew me to pick it. My extensive list of family-member alumni also urged me to make this decision by sharing their great experiences at this school."
Coach Elliott on Squires: "Emma Squires is a very talented and versatile runner. She is the 2020 cross country state champion and will help us in cross country, the 3K and the 5K. Both of her parents are Purdue grads. Emma is a natural leader with a very optimistic view about her upcoming Purdue experience. She also has done well in the classroom, and we look forward to having her on our team."
NATHAN WALKER – DISTANCE, FREMONT, MICHIGAN (FREMONT HS)
Nathan Walker is a D2 cross country individual and two-time team state champion. He comes to Purdue from Fremont, Michigan, where he is a student at Fremont High and is a distance runner for coach Cliff Somers. Walker is a four-time all-state, all-region and first team all-conference honoree in cross country. In three years as a team captain, he helped Fremont win the state championship in 2019 and '20 and finish second in 2018 to go along with his individual state crown in 2020. On the track, Walker collected all-state accolades in 2019 and was named to both the all-region and all-conference squads in 2018 and '19 while serving as team captain both years. Additionally, he competed at the 2019 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championship, where he placed 28th. Walker owns three school records, with a 14:52 in the 5,000 (cross country), a 4:16 in the 1,600 and a 9:10 in the 3,200. He also owns a personal-best time of 1:59 in the 800.
In the classroom, Walker was recognized on the academic all-state team three times, in 2018, '19 and '20.
Walker hopes to major in secondary education and aspires to be a high school math teacher after earning his Purdue degree. His parents are Michele and Benji, and he has one sibling.
Walker on Purdue: "I chose Purdue because it is a place where I can thrive academically and athletically. I know that the coaches are committed to what they do and want the best for me and everyone in the program. The team culture also was a big factor, I wanted to be surrounded by other hard-working people. The campus also was also super nice, and it seems like a fun place to live."
Coach Elliott on Walker: "Nathan Walker comes to us as the 2020 state cross country champion. He is a Foot Locker finalist and was third at his Foot Locker Midwest Regionals. Nathan will be able to help us greatly in cross country as well as on the track, possibly as a miler. He also has a strong academic background, and we are excited to have him be a Boilermaker."
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.