WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Five Purdue student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, held at the Albuquerque Convention Center from March 13-14 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Seniors Samson Colebrooke and Janae' Moffitt, juniors Brian Faust and Waseem Williams and sophomore Isaiah Martin earned NCAA berths as one of the top 16 competitors in the nation in their respective events. Moffitt qualified for her second NCAA Indoor Championships, after she placed 11th overall in the high jump in 2017.
Purdue's five NCAA indoor qualifiers in five events are its most since nine student-athletes competed in seven events in 2017. This year's four Boilermaker men to make the indoor championships are the most since five men competed at the 2003 meet.
"I want to congratulate all five of our student-athletes that have qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "It underscores our blueprint, which is speed and power. We have a representative in the 60, 200 and 400, as well as the high jump and the heptathlon. We have a good, solid group and a really good representation. We've represented Purdue, as well as the Big Ten, very well."
Williams will compete in the 60-meter dash, where he is seeded sixth overall. He enters the meet with a qualifying time of 6.58 seconds, a Big Ten and Purdue record in the event. Williams' time earned him a Big Ten title on Feb. 29 at the conference championships.
Moffitt is seeded No. 7 in the high jump, with a jump of 1.82 meters. The mark earned her a Big Ten championship on Saturday, her third career Big Ten indoor high jump title.
Colebrooke is seeded No. 11 overall in the 200-meter dash with a time of 20.80 seconds. Set in the Big Ten prelims on Feb. 28, his time is the third-fastest in program history. Colebrooke won bronze in the final on Saturday.
Faust enters the NCAA Championship seeded No. 15 in the 400-meter dash. In Big Ten final on Feb. 29, he broke his own school record for the third time this season with a time of 46.15 to take home a bronze medal.
Martin also earned an NCAA bid thanks to a Purdue-record-breaking performance at the Big Ten Championships. Seeded No. 15 in the heptathlon, he earned a mark of 5,631 points at Big Tens and claimed a bronze medal.
The NCAA Championships prelims in the 60, 200 and 400 will be held on Friday, March 13, with the top eight finishers advancing to the finals on Saturday, March 14. The Heptathlon will have four events on Friday and three on Saturday, while Moffitt's appearance in the high jump is scheduled for Saturday.
The Boilermakers are coming off the Big Ten Championships, where they won three Big Ten titles, by Moffitt and Williams and in the 4x400 relay, won a silver medal, courtesy of sophomore pole vaulter Jessica Bray, and totaled 24 top-eight podium finishes. Purdue broke three school records, by Faust, Martin and Williams, and earned 21 marks that rank in the top-10 in school history. The men finished in sixth place with 54 points and the women were seventh, with 53 points. The men's squad 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.
A complete recap from Friday and Saturday's action can be found at PurdueSports.com.
For more on the Purdue track and field team, visit PurdueSports.com and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Seniors Samson Colebrooke and Janae' Moffitt, juniors Brian Faust and Waseem Williams and sophomore Isaiah Martin earned NCAA berths as one of the top 16 competitors in the nation in their respective events. Moffitt qualified for her second NCAA Indoor Championships, after she placed 11th overall in the high jump in 2017.
Purdue's five NCAA indoor qualifiers in five events are its most since nine student-athletes competed in seven events in 2017. This year's four Boilermaker men to make the indoor championships are the most since five men competed at the 2003 meet.
"I want to congratulate all five of our student-athletes that have qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "It underscores our blueprint, which is speed and power. We have a representative in the 60, 200 and 400, as well as the high jump and the heptathlon. We have a good, solid group and a really good representation. We've represented Purdue, as well as the Big Ten, very well."
Williams will compete in the 60-meter dash, where he is seeded sixth overall. He enters the meet with a qualifying time of 6.58 seconds, a Big Ten and Purdue record in the event. Williams' time earned him a Big Ten title on Feb. 29 at the conference championships.
Moffitt is seeded No. 7 in the high jump, with a jump of 1.82 meters. The mark earned her a Big Ten championship on Saturday, her third career Big Ten indoor high jump title.
Colebrooke is seeded No. 11 overall in the 200-meter dash with a time of 20.80 seconds. Set in the Big Ten prelims on Feb. 28, his time is the third-fastest in program history. Colebrooke won bronze in the final on Saturday.
Faust enters the NCAA Championship seeded No. 15 in the 400-meter dash. In Big Ten final on Feb. 29, he broke his own school record for the third time this season with a time of 46.15 to take home a bronze medal.
Martin also earned an NCAA bid thanks to a Purdue-record-breaking performance at the Big Ten Championships. Seeded No. 15 in the heptathlon, he earned a mark of 5,631 points at Big Tens and claimed a bronze medal.
The NCAA Championships prelims in the 60, 200 and 400 will be held on Friday, March 13, with the top eight finishers advancing to the finals on Saturday, March 14. The Heptathlon will have four events on Friday and three on Saturday, while Moffitt's appearance in the high jump is scheduled for Saturday.
The Boilermakers are coming off the Big Ten Championships, where they won three Big Ten titles, by Moffitt and Williams and in the 4x400 relay, won a silver medal, courtesy of sophomore pole vaulter Jessica Bray, and totaled 24 top-eight podium finishes. Purdue broke three school records, by Faust, Martin and Williams, and earned 21 marks that rank in the top-10 in school history. The men finished in sixth place with 54 points and the women were seventh, with 53 points. The men's squad 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.
A complete recap from Friday and Saturday's action can be found at PurdueSports.com.
For more on the Purdue track and field team, visit PurdueSports.com and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.