WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – For the third consecutive season, the Purdue men's cross country team has qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships, set for March 15 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The Boilermakers have made three consecutive NCAA Championships as a team for the second time in program history, joining the 1946-50 squads. The 2020-21 berth marks the 15th time in school history Purdue has qualified for the national meet.
"What's important is that we want to be consistent at whatever we do, and going now for the third year in a row to the NCAA Championships is building that kind of reputation and consistency, and that's what we're trying to do," Purdue track & field and cross country head coach Norbert Elliott said. "All event areas are important to us, and cross country coach John Oliver has done a really good job of getting our guys ready, and I know they're ready to give another good showing."
The Boilermakers, ranked No. 24 in this week's USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll, returned to the NCAA meet as a team in 2018 for the first time since 1986. They made it again in 2019 and finished 11th, their best team finish since 1950.
One of four Big Ten teams to qualify as a team for the men's race, Purdue will be joined by Indiana, Michigan State and Wisconsin.
At the 2019 NCAA Championships, the Boilermakers were 11th as now-senior Curt Eckstein and Jaret Carpenter earned All-America accolades. Carpenter was 11th and Eckstein placed 24th to become the 10th and 11th men's cross country All-Americans in team history and the second and third since 1987. Additionally, Elliott was named the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year, the first time a Purdue coach earned the cross country honor since at least 1998.
Purdue qualified for the 2020-21 NCAA meet after a third-place finish at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships, on Jan. 30. The Boilermakers earned a third consecutive top-four finish for the first time since 1948. Eckstein was fifth overall, the third year in a row a Purdue runner has finished fifth and earned All-Big Ten First Team honors.
The men's squad had three top-18 finishers at the Big Ten meet and four in the top-23. Along with Eckstein, senior Brody Smith and junior Bailey McIntire were 16th and 18th, respectively, and senior Joey Humes was 23rd.
The men's cross country team will be joined next weekend in NCAA competition as five Boilermakers compete at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, from March 11-13 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Seniors Brian Faust, Tamar Greene and Alexis Zatta, junior Isaiah Martin and sophomore Marcellus Moore will represent Purdue as one of the top 16 competitors in the country in their respective events. Complete details about the track & field qualifiers can be found at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com/CrossCountry and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Boilermakers have made three consecutive NCAA Championships as a team for the second time in program history, joining the 1946-50 squads. The 2020-21 berth marks the 15th time in school history Purdue has qualified for the national meet.
"What's important is that we want to be consistent at whatever we do, and going now for the third year in a row to the NCAA Championships is building that kind of reputation and consistency, and that's what we're trying to do," Purdue track & field and cross country head coach Norbert Elliott said. "All event areas are important to us, and cross country coach John Oliver has done a really good job of getting our guys ready, and I know they're ready to give another good showing."
The Boilermakers, ranked No. 24 in this week's USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll, returned to the NCAA meet as a team in 2018 for the first time since 1986. They made it again in 2019 and finished 11th, their best team finish since 1950.
One of four Big Ten teams to qualify as a team for the men's race, Purdue will be joined by Indiana, Michigan State and Wisconsin.
At the 2019 NCAA Championships, the Boilermakers were 11th as now-senior Curt Eckstein and Jaret Carpenter earned All-America accolades. Carpenter was 11th and Eckstein placed 24th to become the 10th and 11th men's cross country All-Americans in team history and the second and third since 1987. Additionally, Elliott was named the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year, the first time a Purdue coach earned the cross country honor since at least 1998.
Purdue qualified for the 2020-21 NCAA meet after a third-place finish at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships, on Jan. 30. The Boilermakers earned a third consecutive top-four finish for the first time since 1948. Eckstein was fifth overall, the third year in a row a Purdue runner has finished fifth and earned All-Big Ten First Team honors.
The men's squad had three top-18 finishers at the Big Ten meet and four in the top-23. Along with Eckstein, senior Brody Smith and junior Bailey McIntire were 16th and 18th, respectively, and senior Joey Humes was 23rd.
The men's cross country team will be joined next weekend in NCAA competition as five Boilermakers compete at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, from March 11-13 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Seniors Brian Faust, Tamar Greene and Alexis Zatta, junior Isaiah Martin and sophomore Marcellus Moore will represent Purdue as one of the top 16 competitors in the country in their respective events. Complete details about the track & field qualifiers can be found at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com/CrossCountry and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.