GENEVA, Ohio – The Purdue track & field team won three Big Ten titles, broke a Big Ten record and set two more program records on the final day of the 2020 Big Ten Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
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The Boilermakers won three Big Ten championships, in the 60-meter dash thanks to a Big Ten-record run by senior Waseem Williams, in the high jump courtesy of senior Janae' Moffitt and in the women's 4x400 relay with a team of seniors Myia Dorsey and Samara Miller, sophomore Jae'Nisa Heckstall and freshman Saran Kouyeth. Williams was joined by junior Brian Faust and sophomore Isaiah Martin with school-record-breaking performances on Saturday.
All six gold medal-winners were named to the All-Big Ten First Team. Sophomore Jessica Bray earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors after she won a silver medal in the pole vault on Friday.
Including their three conference titles and one runner-up finish at the two-day conference championship meet, the Boilermakers posted 24 top-eight podium finishes, broke three Purdue records and earned 21 marks that rank in the top-10 in school history.
"I want to recognize the great effort that our women's team put out today," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "On paper, we were nowhere in the top half, and we finished in the top half. I am really so proud of the work that they did today. I want to particularly recognize the women's 4x400 relay, out of what was perceived to be the "slower" section, they won the entire event. That was just a great effort. Across the board, we had some really good performances. Janae' Moffitt winning the high jump, Ella Robinson placing in the 600, it just kept going on and on and got better and better the entire day. All in all, I was really pleased with their effort."
In the final team standings, the Purdue men finished in sixth place with 54 points and the women were seventh, with 53 points. The men finished ahead of four teams ranked above them in the latest national rankings, including one top-25 program, while the women bested two higher-ranked squads, both ranked in the top-30 nationally.
The men finished in the top six for a second consecutive season and the third time in the last 10 years, while the women's seventh-place finish comes after they were 10th a year ago.
Moffitt began the day with Purdue's first Big Ten title. Her high jump crown was the fourth of her career, after she won indoors in 2016 and 2017 and outdoors in 2018. This year's win came on a jump of 1.82 meters, a season-best mark. Additionally in the high jump, junior Alexis Zatta was eighth overall with a jump of 1.73 meters.
Williams turned in one of the most impressive performances by any student-athlete at the meet. He won the 60-meter dash in 6.58 seconds, a new Big Ten, Purdue and facility record. The third-fastest time in the country, it bested his previous PR and school-record-tying time of 6.63 seconds. It is Williams' third Big Ten title, after he won the 60-meter event indoors and the 100-meter outdoor race in 2018.
Freshman Marcellus Moore and senior Samson Colebrooke joined Williams in the 60-meter final and both earned top-six finishes. Moore won bronze with a time of 6.69 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in school history, while Colebrooke was sixth in 6.75 seconds.
"Our sprinters did a fantastic job today," Elliott said. "Waseem, his time currently is third-fastest in the nation, a school record and a Big Ten record. That solidifies Purdue as a speed-power program. We've won with Raheem Mostert, we've won with Waseem Williams, and Samson Colebrooke and Marcellus Moore did a really good job today running both the 200 and 60-meters. Purdue is definitely a speed and power program, and that's our footprint and that's what we did today. We showed the conference that we're here to stay."
The Boilermakers' third Big Ten championship of the meet came in the 4x400-meter relay and was their fourth title in the event in the last five seasons. Dorsey, Miller, Heckstall and Kouyeth ran in the second of three heats and finished in 3:37.68 to win by 0.01 seconds. The time also was the ninth-fastest in the event in Purdue history.
Martin broke a 17-year-old school record and claimed the bronze medal in the heptathlon with 5,631 points. He broke the previous record of 5,432 points set by Hence Williams in 2003, and eclipsed his old personal-best mark of 5,355 points, which was second-best in the Purdue record books. Martin's performance on Saturday was aided by personal-best marks in the pole vault (4.40 meters) and 1,000-meter run (2:38.30) after he set three PRs to open competition on Friday.
"Isaiah Martin, boy, what an effort," Elliott added. "His first day didn't go as well as he would have liked, but Isaiah's a competitor, he's been a competitor for us since he got here. As a freshman he went to nationals outdoors in the decathlon. This year, the best is yet to come for Isaiah, he's a warrior.
For the third time this season, Faust broke his own record in the 400-meter dash. He won a bronze medal in the event with a time of 46.15 seconds, which bested his previous school record of 46.58 seconds.
Purdue had two runners compete in the finals and win bronze in both 200-meter events. Colebrooke was third for the men, in 20.91 seconds, and freshman Kerris Roberts was third for the women in 23.61 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in Boilermaker history. Moore finished right behind Colebrooke, in fourth place in 21.09. Sophomore Camille Christopher joined Roberts on the women's podium with an eighth-place finish in 24.02.
The men's 5,000-meter event saw two Boilermakers earn a trip to the podium and two top-10 times set. Senior Jaret Carpenter earned his second top-eight finish in as many days with a time of 13:56.50 to place fourth overall. Junior Curt Eckstein was seventh in 14:01.96, the third-fastest time in Purdue history in the event. Additionally, sophomore Tyler Bowling ran a 14:14.47, which is ranked No. 8 in the school record books.
Along with her winning effort in the 4x400 relay, Miller placed fifth in the women's 400-meter dash. She finished in 54.09 seconds in the finals.
Two Boilermakers made the finals in the 60-meter hurdles, as Heckstall and fellow sophomore Amaya Chadwick made a trip to the podium. Chadwick finished in sixth place with a time of 8.30 seconds to move into fourth place all-time in the event in Purdue history. Heckstall was eighth in 8.59 seconds.
A day after she made her debut in the school record books, freshman Ella Robinson bested her time and finished seventh overall in the finals of the 600-meter run. She crossed the finish line in 1:30.49, the sixth-fastest time in the event in Purdue history.
In the shot put, junior Jalil Brewer also made the finals and finished eighth overall with a mark of 18.15 meters.
On Friday's opening day of competition, Bray was one of five Boilermakers to earn top-eight podium finishes. Eleven student-athletes earned marks that ranked in the top-10 in program history. Along with Bray's second-place finish, seniors Asia Young and Jaden Mattox were fifth and eighth in the long jump, respectively, Carpenter was seventh in the 3,000-meter and senior Rebecca Coan placed eighth in the pentathlon.
A complete recap of Friday's action can be found at PurdueSports.com.
The indoor season concludes at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from March 13-14. Qualifiers to the event will be announced next week.
For more on the Purdue track and field team, visit PurdueSports.com and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Final Results | Photo Gallery | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
The Boilermakers won three Big Ten championships, in the 60-meter dash thanks to a Big Ten-record run by senior Waseem Williams, in the high jump courtesy of senior Janae' Moffitt and in the women's 4x400 relay with a team of seniors Myia Dorsey and Samara Miller, sophomore Jae'Nisa Heckstall and freshman Saran Kouyeth. Williams was joined by junior Brian Faust and sophomore Isaiah Martin with school-record-breaking performances on Saturday.
All six gold medal-winners were named to the All-Big Ten First Team. Sophomore Jessica Bray earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors after she won a silver medal in the pole vault on Friday.
Including their three conference titles and one runner-up finish at the two-day conference championship meet, the Boilermakers posted 24 top-eight podium finishes, broke three Purdue records and earned 21 marks that rank in the top-10 in school history.
"I want to recognize the great effort that our women's team put out today," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "On paper, we were nowhere in the top half, and we finished in the top half. I am really so proud of the work that they did today. I want to particularly recognize the women's 4x400 relay, out of what was perceived to be the "slower" section, they won the entire event. That was just a great effort. Across the board, we had some really good performances. Janae' Moffitt winning the high jump, Ella Robinson placing in the 600, it just kept going on and on and got better and better the entire day. All in all, I was really pleased with their effort."
In the final team standings, the Purdue men finished in sixth place with 54 points and the women were seventh, with 53 points. The men finished ahead of four teams ranked above them in the latest national rankings, including one top-25 program, while the women bested two higher-ranked squads, both ranked in the top-30 nationally.
The men finished in the top six for a second consecutive season and the third time in the last 10 years, while the women's seventh-place finish comes after they were 10th a year ago.
Moffitt began the day with Purdue's first Big Ten title. Her high jump crown was the fourth of her career, after she won indoors in 2016 and 2017 and outdoors in 2018. This year's win came on a jump of 1.82 meters, a season-best mark. Additionally in the high jump, junior Alexis Zatta was eighth overall with a jump of 1.73 meters.
Janae' Moffitt is your 2020 𝔹𝕚𝕘 𝕋𝕖𝕟 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕞𝕡𝕚𝕠𝕟 in the high jump❗️#BoilerUp 🚂 #B1GTF 👟 pic.twitter.com/N0GWnoL2Ji
— Purdue Track & Field / Cross Country (@PurdueTrackXC) February 29, 2020
Williams turned in one of the most impressive performances by any student-athlete at the meet. He won the 60-meter dash in 6.58 seconds, a new Big Ten, Purdue and facility record. The third-fastest time in the country, it bested his previous PR and school-record-tying time of 6.63 seconds. It is Williams' third Big Ten title, after he won the 60-meter event indoors and the 100-meter outdoor race in 2018.
Freshman Marcellus Moore and senior Samson Colebrooke joined Williams in the 60-meter final and both earned top-six finishes. Moore won bronze with a time of 6.69 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in school history, while Colebrooke was sixth in 6.75 seconds.
𝔹𝕚𝕘 𝕋𝕖𝕟 ℝ𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕕‼️ 𝙒𝘼𝙎𝙀𝙀𝙈 𝙒𝙄𝙇𝙇𝙄𝘼𝙈𝙎 wins the 60-meter dash in 6⃣.5⃣8⃣ seconds to break the Big Ten, Purdue and facility record! ⚡️#BoilerUp 🚂 #B1GTF 👟 pic.twitter.com/WtzUXgL1xY
— Purdue Track & Field / Cross Country (@PurdueTrackXC) February 29, 2020
"Our sprinters did a fantastic job today," Elliott said. "Waseem, his time currently is third-fastest in the nation, a school record and a Big Ten record. That solidifies Purdue as a speed-power program. We've won with Raheem Mostert, we've won with Waseem Williams, and Samson Colebrooke and Marcellus Moore did a really good job today running both the 200 and 60-meters. Purdue is definitely a speed and power program, and that's our footprint and that's what we did today. We showed the conference that we're here to stay."
The Boilermakers' third Big Ten championship of the meet came in the 4x400-meter relay and was their fourth title in the event in the last five seasons. Dorsey, Miller, Heckstall and Kouyeth ran in the second of three heats and finished in 3:37.68 to win by 0.01 seconds. The time also was the ninth-fastest in the event in Purdue history.
𝔹𝕚𝕘 𝕋𝕖𝕟 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕞𝕡𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤‼️
— Purdue Track & Field / Cross Country (@PurdueTrackXC) March 1, 2020
The women's 4x400 relay team of Myia Dorsey, Samara Miller, Jae'Nisa Heckstall and Saran Kouyeth wins gold 🥇 in the 4x400 relay to conclude the meet!
They finish in 3:37.68, the 9⃣th-fastest time in Purdue history!#BoilerUp 🚂 #B1GTF 👟 pic.twitter.com/3BjyOmSFec
Martin broke a 17-year-old school record and claimed the bronze medal in the heptathlon with 5,631 points. He broke the previous record of 5,432 points set by Hence Williams in 2003, and eclipsed his old personal-best mark of 5,355 points, which was second-best in the Purdue record books. Martin's performance on Saturday was aided by personal-best marks in the pole vault (4.40 meters) and 1,000-meter run (2:38.30) after he set three PRs to open competition on Friday.
"Isaiah Martin, boy, what an effort," Elliott added. "His first day didn't go as well as he would have liked, but Isaiah's a competitor, he's been a competitor for us since he got here. As a freshman he went to nationals outdoors in the decathlon. This year, the best is yet to come for Isaiah, he's a warrior.
For the third time this season, Faust broke his own record in the 400-meter dash. He won a bronze medal in the event with a time of 46.15 seconds, which bested his previous school record of 46.58 seconds.
Purdue had two runners compete in the finals and win bronze in both 200-meter events. Colebrooke was third for the men, in 20.91 seconds, and freshman Kerris Roberts was third for the women in 23.61 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in Boilermaker history. Moore finished right behind Colebrooke, in fourth place in 21.09. Sophomore Camille Christopher joined Roberts on the women's podium with an eighth-place finish in 24.02.
The men's 5,000-meter event saw two Boilermakers earn a trip to the podium and two top-10 times set. Senior Jaret Carpenter earned his second top-eight finish in as many days with a time of 13:56.50 to place fourth overall. Junior Curt Eckstein was seventh in 14:01.96, the third-fastest time in Purdue history in the event. Additionally, sophomore Tyler Bowling ran a 14:14.47, which is ranked No. 8 in the school record books.
Along with her winning effort in the 4x400 relay, Miller placed fifth in the women's 400-meter dash. She finished in 54.09 seconds in the finals.
Two Boilermakers made the finals in the 60-meter hurdles, as Heckstall and fellow sophomore Amaya Chadwick made a trip to the podium. Chadwick finished in sixth place with a time of 8.30 seconds to move into fourth place all-time in the event in Purdue history. Heckstall was eighth in 8.59 seconds.
A day after she made her debut in the school record books, freshman Ella Robinson bested her time and finished seventh overall in the finals of the 600-meter run. She crossed the finish line in 1:30.49, the sixth-fastest time in the event in Purdue history.
In the shot put, junior Jalil Brewer also made the finals and finished eighth overall with a mark of 18.15 meters.
On Friday's opening day of competition, Bray was one of five Boilermakers to earn top-eight podium finishes. Eleven student-athletes earned marks that ranked in the top-10 in program history. Along with Bray's second-place finish, seniors Asia Young and Jaden Mattox were fifth and eighth in the long jump, respectively, Carpenter was seventh in the 3,000-meter and senior Rebecca Coan placed eighth in the pentathlon.
A complete recap of Friday's action can be found at PurdueSports.com.
The indoor season concludes at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from March 13-14. Qualifiers to the event will be announced next week.
For more on the Purdue track and field team, visit PurdueSports.com and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.