GENEVA, Ohio – Junior Alexis Zatta won the high jump and the Purdue track & field team won seven medals on Saturday at the Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
On the final day of the three-day meet, Zatta was one of 14 top-eight podium finishers for the Boilermakers and one of nine to record a top-10 mark in school history. Saturday's medalists also featured senior Waseem Williams and junior Camille Christopher, who each won silver, and senior Jalil Brewer, sophomore Marcellus Moore twice and the women's 4x400 relay, who all claimed bronze.
The team standings are highlighted by a sixth-place finish for the men, with 61 points. Purdue placed in the top six for the third consecutive year after it finished outside the top nine each of the previous four years (2015-18) and nine of the previous 13 (2006-18).
"Overall, I thought we capped off the Big Ten Championships with class and a really good competitive zeal," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "I was really happy with our finish, all things considered. The men showed consistency, finishing in the middle of the pack in the conference, and our young women's squad really competed well with the small team that we had. Now, we wait to see who we have qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships."
At the three-day conference championship meet, Purdue won nine medals, one gold, three silvers and five bronzes. The Boilermakers totaled 22 top-eight podium finishes and 13 top-10 marks in school history were set, including one school record.
The men's team's third consecutive year in the top-six also is the longest stretch since a seven-year run from 1998-2004, while they are in the top-nine for three years in a row for the first time since a streak that lasted from 1971-2005.
"Highlights today on the men's side were Marcellus Moore, a double bronze medal-winner, and Jalil Brewer, who finished third in the shot put," Elliott added. "And the defending champion in the 60 meters, Waseem Williams, was able to finish second today despite a lot of physical setbacks. We had a really strong finish on the men's side today."
The Boilermaker women placed 10th overall, with 34 points.
"Alexis Zatta, I was really pleased for her winning the high jump and also likely qualifying for the NCAA Championships," Elliott said. "Camille Christopher, who had a really tough time and suffered through a lot of physical setbacks, was able to achieve a silver medal. And then our women's 4x400 team did a really good job. So, even with a small group, we highlighted ourselves with some really good, key performances."
Zatta was named to the All-Big Ten First Team and Christopher, Williams and junior Isaiah Martin were named to the second team. Martin's accolade came after he finished as the runner-up in the heptathlon on Friday.
Zatta's Big Ten championship was won with a jump of 1.81 meters, which she achieved on her third attempt. The personal-best mark is tied for No. 6 in school history. The high jump title is the fourth by a Boilermaker in the last six years and the 12th since the first championship in 1982.
Williams earned his fourth career 60-meter dash Big Ten medal in the when he placed second with a time of 6.66 seconds. His time would be tied for No. 4 in program history if he didn't already own the school record, set a year ago.
Moore joined Williams as a 60-meter dash medalist. He also finished in 6.66 seconds, but was edged out by Williams when times were rounded. Moore's bronze-medal time was a personal-best, topping his 6.67 set in Friday's prelims, and he rose to a tie for No. 4 in the Purdue record books.
Christopher won silver in the 200 with a time of 23.96. The seventh-fastest time in team history, she bested her personal-best time by 0.02 seconds. Christopher was joined on the podium by sophomore Kerris Roberts, who finished fifth in the finals in 24.60 seconds.
Brewer earned his bronze medal in the shot put, where he advanced to the finals and recorded a season-best mark of 19.18 meters on his final throw.
Forty-five minutes after he ran in the 60-meter final, Moore raced in the 200 final and earned his second bronze medal of the meet. He finished in 20.91, the fourth-fastest time in Purdue history. Just behind Moore was Faust, who finished fourth in 21.01. Faust moved up in the top-10 list in the event for the second time at the championships, and now sits at No. 5 after improving on his prelim time of 21.10.
One hour earlier, Faust broke his own Purdue record in the 400 final. He finished fourth overall in 45.87 to set the new record by 0.28 seconds.
Purdue's final bronze medal came in the women's 4x400, where senior Samara Miller, freshmen K'Ja Talley and Cierra Williams and sophomore Saran Kouyeth finished in 3:39.51. They finished with the top time in the second heat.
Senior Curt Eckstein placed seventh in the 5,000 with the second-fastest time in program history. With a time of 13:51.79, he improved his PR and No. 3 time in Purdue history by more than 10 seconds. Additionally, junior Bailey McIntire ran the eighth-fastest time in the record books in the event. He finished in 14:10.41 and also bested his personal-best time by more than 10 seconds and moved up from No. 10 on the all-time list.
Sophomore Amaya King earned the No. 4 shot put mark in school history and placed eighth. Her throw of 15.89 meters came on her second throw, which propelled her to the finals and a podium finish.
Freshman Nikia Smith placed in her first Big Ten Championships. She was seventh in the 60-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 8.59 seconds.
Additionally, the men's 4x400 relay finished eighth with a time of 3:15.92.
Iowa won the men's team title, with 119 points, and Minnesota took the women's championship with 138 points.
A pair of NCAA championships are up next, as qualifying student-athletes will compete at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships and the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The indoor track & field meet is set for March 12-13 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, while the cross country championships will be contested on March 15 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Qualifying teams and individuals are expected to be announced on March 2 for track & field and March 7 for cross country.
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com/TrackField and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
On the final day of the three-day meet, Zatta was one of 14 top-eight podium finishers for the Boilermakers and one of nine to record a top-10 mark in school history. Saturday's medalists also featured senior Waseem Williams and junior Camille Christopher, who each won silver, and senior Jalil Brewer, sophomore Marcellus Moore twice and the women's 4x400 relay, who all claimed bronze.
The team standings are highlighted by a sixth-place finish for the men, with 61 points. Purdue placed in the top six for the third consecutive year after it finished outside the top nine each of the previous four years (2015-18) and nine of the previous 13 (2006-18).
"Overall, I thought we capped off the Big Ten Championships with class and a really good competitive zeal," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "I was really happy with our finish, all things considered. The men showed consistency, finishing in the middle of the pack in the conference, and our young women's squad really competed well with the small team that we had. Now, we wait to see who we have qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships."
At the three-day conference championship meet, Purdue won nine medals, one gold, three silvers and five bronzes. The Boilermakers totaled 22 top-eight podium finishes and 13 top-10 marks in school history were set, including one school record.
The men's team's third consecutive year in the top-six also is the longest stretch since a seven-year run from 1998-2004, while they are in the top-nine for three years in a row for the first time since a streak that lasted from 1971-2005.
"Highlights today on the men's side were Marcellus Moore, a double bronze medal-winner, and Jalil Brewer, who finished third in the shot put," Elliott added. "And the defending champion in the 60 meters, Waseem Williams, was able to finish second today despite a lot of physical setbacks. We had a really strong finish on the men's side today."
The Boilermaker women placed 10th overall, with 34 points.
"Alexis Zatta, I was really pleased for her winning the high jump and also likely qualifying for the NCAA Championships," Elliott said. "Camille Christopher, who had a really tough time and suffered through a lot of physical setbacks, was able to achieve a silver medal. And then our women's 4x400 team did a really good job. So, even with a small group, we highlighted ourselves with some really good, key performances."
Zatta was named to the All-Big Ten First Team and Christopher, Williams and junior Isaiah Martin were named to the second team. Martin's accolade came after he finished as the runner-up in the heptathlon on Friday.
Zatta's Big Ten championship was won with a jump of 1.81 meters, which she achieved on her third attempt. The personal-best mark is tied for No. 6 in school history. The high jump title is the fourth by a Boilermaker in the last six years and the 12th since the first championship in 1982.
Williams earned his fourth career 60-meter dash Big Ten medal in the when he placed second with a time of 6.66 seconds. His time would be tied for No. 4 in program history if he didn't already own the school record, set a year ago.
Moore joined Williams as a 60-meter dash medalist. He also finished in 6.66 seconds, but was edged out by Williams when times were rounded. Moore's bronze-medal time was a personal-best, topping his 6.67 set in Friday's prelims, and he rose to a tie for No. 4 in the Purdue record books.
Christopher won silver in the 200 with a time of 23.96. The seventh-fastest time in team history, she bested her personal-best time by 0.02 seconds. Christopher was joined on the podium by sophomore Kerris Roberts, who finished fifth in the finals in 24.60 seconds.
Brewer earned his bronze medal in the shot put, where he advanced to the finals and recorded a season-best mark of 19.18 meters on his final throw.
Forty-five minutes after he ran in the 60-meter final, Moore raced in the 200 final and earned his second bronze medal of the meet. He finished in 20.91, the fourth-fastest time in Purdue history. Just behind Moore was Faust, who finished fourth in 21.01. Faust moved up in the top-10 list in the event for the second time at the championships, and now sits at No. 5 after improving on his prelim time of 21.10.
One hour earlier, Faust broke his own Purdue record in the 400 final. He finished fourth overall in 45.87 to set the new record by 0.28 seconds.
Purdue's final bronze medal came in the women's 4x400, where senior Samara Miller, freshmen K'Ja Talley and Cierra Williams and sophomore Saran Kouyeth finished in 3:39.51. They finished with the top time in the second heat.
Senior Curt Eckstein placed seventh in the 5,000 with the second-fastest time in program history. With a time of 13:51.79, he improved his PR and No. 3 time in Purdue history by more than 10 seconds. Additionally, junior Bailey McIntire ran the eighth-fastest time in the record books in the event. He finished in 14:10.41 and also bested his personal-best time by more than 10 seconds and moved up from No. 10 on the all-time list.
Sophomore Amaya King earned the No. 4 shot put mark in school history and placed eighth. Her throw of 15.89 meters came on her second throw, which propelled her to the finals and a podium finish.
Freshman Nikia Smith placed in her first Big Ten Championships. She was seventh in the 60-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 8.59 seconds.
Additionally, the men's 4x400 relay finished eighth with a time of 3:15.92.
Iowa won the men's team title, with 119 points, and Minnesota took the women's championship with 138 points.
A pair of NCAA championships are up next, as qualifying student-athletes will compete at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships and the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The indoor track & field meet is set for March 12-13 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, while the cross country championships will be contested on March 15 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Qualifying teams and individuals are expected to be announced on March 2 for track & field and March 7 for cross country.
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com/TrackField and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.