BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Purdue track & field team won seven events and recorded two marks that rank in the top 10 in school history to begin the outdoor season at the Big Ten Indiana Invitational No. 1 in Bloomington, Indiana.
Sophomore Camille Christopher won both of her events, including the 200-meter with the seventh-fastest time in school history. Additionally, seniors Samson Colebrooke and Malcolm Dotson posted individual wins and were part of a relay victory. On Friday, sophomore Jessica Bray recorded the No. 8-ranked pole vault mark in Boilermaker history.
As Purdue returned to outdoor competition for the first time as a team since June, 2019, the squad earned seven victories, tallied three second-place finishes and had four third-place showings at the two-day meet at the Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex.
"We got off to a pretty good start yesterday, and that carried over into today," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "We had some really good performances in the pole vault, as well as in the high jump, so that kicked off the momentum. We then had some pretty good performances today, and it was a long day. We left campus at 6:30 this morning and came right out and began warmups, and typically you don't have your best performances that way, but we showed good form, and I'm excited for what we can do the rest of the season."
Christopher's first win came in the 100-meter dash, where she finished in 11.66 seconds. That would be the 10th-fastest time in school history if she wasn't already tied for No. 6. Less than two hours later, Christopher was victorious in the 200 with a time of 23.73. The personal-best mark moved her up on Purdue's all-time list from No. 10 to No. 7.
Senior Samson Colebrooke added a 200 win for the men, as he crossed the finish line in 20.73. The second-fastest time in the NCAA in 2021, Colebrooke won by 0.35 seconds.
Junior Jalil Brewer won the shot put with a throw of 19.65 meters, which is the sixth-best throw in the nation this season. His mark would rank No. 4 in school history if he didn't already hold the third-best throw.
In the 400-meter, senior Malcolm Dotson notched a victory with a personal-best time of 47.50 seconds.
Purdue's men began the meet with a 4x100 relay win. Colebrooke, Dotson, sophomore Justin Becker and freshman Marcellus Moore finished in 39.57 seconds to win by 0.28 seconds. It is the third-fastest time in the country in the event this season.
The Boilermaker women closed the day with a victorious 4x400 relay. Freshmen Cierra Williams and K'Ja Talley, senior Samara Miller and freshman Saran Kouyeth finished in 3:40.46 in a close race that saw the quartet win by just .38 seconds.
Freshman Anna Maria Leszczynska was the runner-up in the women's 400 hurdles. She finished in 1:00.83 and beat the third-place finisher by more than a second.
In the 1,500, freshman Ian Hunter ran a 3:49.03 to place second overall for the men, less than half a second shy of a top-10 berth in Purdue history. In the women's race, freshman Emma Tate was fourth in 4:32.79
Senior Jaden Mattox tied for third in the long jump with a mark of 5.91 meters. She was just ahead of fellow senior Rebecca Coan, who jumped 5.90m to finish fifth.
Purdue placed third, fourth and fifth in the women's 400. Williams led the way with a time of 55.54, edging out Miller (55.95) and Kouyeth (56.10).
The final individual event of the day on the track was the 3,000 steeplechase. Sophomore Taylor Mortensen was second in 11:07.35, while freshman teammate Anna Morozov placed third in 11:55.24.
The Purdue men finished the meet on the track with a fourth-place finish in the 4x400 relay, with a mark of 3:12.58.
In Friday's opening day of competition, Bray earned a pole vault mark of 4.00 meters, which is tied for No. 8 in the Purdue record books. She was fourth in the event. Junior Tessa Sheets also cleared 4.00 meters. That is just shy of her personal-best mark of 4.02, which is tied for No. 6 all-time.
In the high jump, freshman My'Khiyah Williams was third overall with a jump of 1.66 meters to lead the way for the Boilermakers.
Up next, the Boilermakers head to Jacksonville, Florida, for the Big Ten North Florida Hawkeye Invitational from April 2-3.
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.
Sophomore Camille Christopher won both of her events, including the 200-meter with the seventh-fastest time in school history. Additionally, seniors Samson Colebrooke and Malcolm Dotson posted individual wins and were part of a relay victory. On Friday, sophomore Jessica Bray recorded the No. 8-ranked pole vault mark in Boilermaker history.
As Purdue returned to outdoor competition for the first time as a team since June, 2019, the squad earned seven victories, tallied three second-place finishes and had four third-place showings at the two-day meet at the Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex.
"We got off to a pretty good start yesterday, and that carried over into today," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "We had some really good performances in the pole vault, as well as in the high jump, so that kicked off the momentum. We then had some pretty good performances today, and it was a long day. We left campus at 6:30 this morning and came right out and began warmups, and typically you don't have your best performances that way, but we showed good form, and I'm excited for what we can do the rest of the season."
Christopher's first win came in the 100-meter dash, where she finished in 11.66 seconds. That would be the 10th-fastest time in school history if she wasn't already tied for No. 6. Less than two hours later, Christopher was victorious in the 200 with a time of 23.73. The personal-best mark moved her up on Purdue's all-time list from No. 10 to No. 7.
Senior Samson Colebrooke added a 200 win for the men, as he crossed the finish line in 20.73. The second-fastest time in the NCAA in 2021, Colebrooke won by 0.35 seconds.
Junior Jalil Brewer won the shot put with a throw of 19.65 meters, which is the sixth-best throw in the nation this season. His mark would rank No. 4 in school history if he didn't already hold the third-best throw.
In the 400-meter, senior Malcolm Dotson notched a victory with a personal-best time of 47.50 seconds.
Purdue's men began the meet with a 4x100 relay win. Colebrooke, Dotson, sophomore Justin Becker and freshman Marcellus Moore finished in 39.57 seconds to win by 0.28 seconds. It is the third-fastest time in the country in the event this season.
The Boilermaker women closed the day with a victorious 4x400 relay. Freshmen Cierra Williams and K'Ja Talley, senior Samara Miller and freshman Saran Kouyeth finished in 3:40.46 in a close race that saw the quartet win by just .38 seconds.
Freshman Anna Maria Leszczynska was the runner-up in the women's 400 hurdles. She finished in 1:00.83 and beat the third-place finisher by more than a second.
In the 1,500, freshman Ian Hunter ran a 3:49.03 to place second overall for the men, less than half a second shy of a top-10 berth in Purdue history. In the women's race, freshman Emma Tate was fourth in 4:32.79
Senior Jaden Mattox tied for third in the long jump with a mark of 5.91 meters. She was just ahead of fellow senior Rebecca Coan, who jumped 5.90m to finish fifth.
Purdue placed third, fourth and fifth in the women's 400. Williams led the way with a time of 55.54, edging out Miller (55.95) and Kouyeth (56.10).
The final individual event of the day on the track was the 3,000 steeplechase. Sophomore Taylor Mortensen was second in 11:07.35, while freshman teammate Anna Morozov placed third in 11:55.24.
The Purdue men finished the meet on the track with a fourth-place finish in the 4x400 relay, with a mark of 3:12.58.
In Friday's opening day of competition, Bray earned a pole vault mark of 4.00 meters, which is tied for No. 8 in the Purdue record books. She was fourth in the event. Junior Tessa Sheets also cleared 4.00 meters. That is just shy of her personal-best mark of 4.02, which is tied for No. 6 all-time.
In the high jump, freshman My'Khiyah Williams was third overall with a jump of 1.66 meters to lead the way for the Boilermakers.
Up next, the Boilermakers head to Jacksonville, Florida, for the Big Ten North Florida Hawkeye Invitational from April 2-3.
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.