WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue track & field team remains in the state of Indiana to begin the month of February at the Hoosier Hills Invitational in Bloomington, on Saturday, Feb. 6.
Action at IU's Gladstein Fieldhouse begins with the women's competition at 11 a.m. ET, while the men's meet commences at 3 p.m. Fans can follow all the action with live results, a video stream and the event schedule, available on the track & field schedule page on PurdueSports.com/TrackField, while additional meet information can be found at IUHoosiers.com.
Twenty-one women will represent Purdue in 12 total events, and 19 men are entered in 15 events on Saturday. The Boilermakers will compete against host-Indiana, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin.
"This is definitely a larger group that we'll have competing on Saturday," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "I'm looking forward to seeing those that have been competing show a little more improvement. Those that are competing for the first time, they needed a little bit more time to prepare, so certainly looking for them to show a certain degree of form and fitness. We still have a long way to go coming back from the long layoff, but we have the bulk of the group healthy, so that's important. With the short indoor season, there's no room and no time for injuries, so I'm excited that we're staying healthy."
Top-25 Boilermakers
In this week's team rankings by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the Purdue women are No. 8 and the men are No. 14 in the Great Lakes Region. In the national rankings, the Indiana men are No. 24 and the Michigan State women are No. 25.
Individually, three Boilermakers have posted marks that rank in the top-25 in the NCAA this season. Senior Curt Eckstein is No. 10 in the nation in the 3,000 after his school-record time of 7:59.30 on Jan. 16. Junior Alexis Zatta is No. 12 in the high jump, with a meet-winning mark of 1.78 to open the year. Senior Jalil Brewer checks in at No. 20 in the shot put thanks to a throw of 18.56 meters to place second overall at the Simmons-Harvey Invite.
Additionally, the men's cross country team is ranked No. 20 nationally in this week's USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll.
Last Time Out: Big Ten Cross Country Championships, Illini B1G Multi-Meet
The Boilermaker men's cross country team finished third at the Big Ten Championships on Jan. 30 at the Blue River Cross Country Course in Shelbyville, Indiana. The men placed in the top four for the third consecutive year for the first time since 1948 and also have notched four top-five finishes in as many seasons after not earning a top-five placing since 1986. Eckstein led the way with a fifth-place finish to earn All-Big Ten First Team honors, the 11th in school history and the seventh in the last eight years.
On a chilly, windy day, Purdue's men squad had three top-18 finishers and four in the top-23. The women placed 10th and were led by sophomore Emma Tate in 22nd. A complete recap of the race is available at PurdueSports.com/CrossCountry.
Additionally, sophomore Jayla Ellis competed in the pentathlon at the Illini B1G Multi-Meet on Saturday. In her fourth career pentathlon appearance and first of 2021, she was 12th with 3,142 points. A recap can be found at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
Purdue's Last Trip to Indiana: Gladstein Invitational
The Boilermakers are making their second trip of the season to Bloomington after competing at the Gladstein Invitational on Jan. 23. Zatta won the high jump and sophomore Johnny Vanos took home the weight throw title as both earned their second victories in as many weeks. The Boilermakers added four second-place finishes, four third-place finishes and three personal-record marks. A complete recap can be found at here.
Up Next: Hawkeye B1G Invitational
Purdue travels to Iowa City, Iowa, next weekend for the two-day Hawkeye B1G Invitational. The meet begins on Friday, Feb. 12, and continues on Saturday at the University of Iowa Recreational Building.
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.
Action at IU's Gladstein Fieldhouse begins with the women's competition at 11 a.m. ET, while the men's meet commences at 3 p.m. Fans can follow all the action with live results, a video stream and the event schedule, available on the track & field schedule page on PurdueSports.com/TrackField, while additional meet information can be found at IUHoosiers.com.
Twenty-one women will represent Purdue in 12 total events, and 19 men are entered in 15 events on Saturday. The Boilermakers will compete against host-Indiana, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin.
"This is definitely a larger group that we'll have competing on Saturday," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "I'm looking forward to seeing those that have been competing show a little more improvement. Those that are competing for the first time, they needed a little bit more time to prepare, so certainly looking for them to show a certain degree of form and fitness. We still have a long way to go coming back from the long layoff, but we have the bulk of the group healthy, so that's important. With the short indoor season, there's no room and no time for injuries, so I'm excited that we're staying healthy."
Top-25 Boilermakers
In this week's team rankings by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the Purdue women are No. 8 and the men are No. 14 in the Great Lakes Region. In the national rankings, the Indiana men are No. 24 and the Michigan State women are No. 25.
Individually, three Boilermakers have posted marks that rank in the top-25 in the NCAA this season. Senior Curt Eckstein is No. 10 in the nation in the 3,000 after his school-record time of 7:59.30 on Jan. 16. Junior Alexis Zatta is No. 12 in the high jump, with a meet-winning mark of 1.78 to open the year. Senior Jalil Brewer checks in at No. 20 in the shot put thanks to a throw of 18.56 meters to place second overall at the Simmons-Harvey Invite.
Additionally, the men's cross country team is ranked No. 20 nationally in this week's USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll.
Last Time Out: Big Ten Cross Country Championships, Illini B1G Multi-Meet
The Boilermaker men's cross country team finished third at the Big Ten Championships on Jan. 30 at the Blue River Cross Country Course in Shelbyville, Indiana. The men placed in the top four for the third consecutive year for the first time since 1948 and also have notched four top-five finishes in as many seasons after not earning a top-five placing since 1986. Eckstein led the way with a fifth-place finish to earn All-Big Ten First Team honors, the 11th in school history and the seventh in the last eight years.
On a chilly, windy day, Purdue's men squad had three top-18 finishers and four in the top-23. The women placed 10th and were led by sophomore Emma Tate in 22nd. A complete recap of the race is available at PurdueSports.com/CrossCountry.
Additionally, sophomore Jayla Ellis competed in the pentathlon at the Illini B1G Multi-Meet on Saturday. In her fourth career pentathlon appearance and first of 2021, she was 12th with 3,142 points. A recap can be found at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
Purdue's Last Trip to Indiana: Gladstein Invitational
The Boilermakers are making their second trip of the season to Bloomington after competing at the Gladstein Invitational on Jan. 23. Zatta won the high jump and sophomore Johnny Vanos took home the weight throw title as both earned their second victories in as many weeks. The Boilermakers added four second-place finishes, four third-place finishes and three personal-record marks. A complete recap can be found at here.
Up Next: Hawkeye B1G Invitational
Purdue travels to Iowa City, Iowa, next weekend for the two-day Hawkeye B1G Invitational. The meet begins on Friday, Feb. 12, and continues on Saturday at the University of Iowa Recreational Building.
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.