BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Purdue track & field senior Brody Smith broke the school record in the 3,000 steeplechase to highlight the opening day of competition for the Boilermakers on Friday.
Smith's school-record time came at the Big Ten Indiana Invitational No. 4 in Bloomington, Indiana, and Purdue also competed at the Jesse Owens Invitational in Columbus, Ohio.
"We had some very good performances today as we close out the last weekend of competition before we begin our championship preparation," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "Noteworthy so far is Brody Smith, who broke the steeplechase school record. Anna Morozov and Taylor Mortensen had PR performances today as well."
At IU's Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex, Smith finished in 8:43.77 to break the seven-year-old Purdue record of 8:44.37, set in 2014 by Jake Waterman. Smith's time is the fastest in the Big Ten this season and sixth-fastest in the nation. He improved is personal-best time by more than four seconds.
Additionally, sophomore Taylor Mortensen (fourth, 10:37.90) and freshman Anna Morozov (sixth, 11:17.22) ran personal-best times in the women's 3,000 steeplechase on Friday night in Bloomington. Mortensen's PR is by almost 15 seconds and Morozov's is by more than 10 seconds, as both topped their previous-best times set earlier this month.
On a windy afternoon at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Purdue recorded a trio of runner-up finishes. Senior Samson Colebrooke, sophomore Camille Christopher and freshman Jabari Bryant all placed second to go along with six additional top-five finishes. In the eight events contested on the opening day at OSU, the Boilermakers set three career-best marks, along with four wind-aided PRs.
In the men's 200-meter dash, Colebrooke was second with a wind-aided time of 20.73 seconds, as he finished just 0.005 seconds behind the winner. Senior Malcolm Dotson placed fourth in 21.02 and freshman Marcellus Moore was fifth in 21.08, all wind-aided marks.
Christopher placed second in the women's 200 in 23.30. Her time would be a PR and the fifth-best in school history if it weren't wind-aided. Freshman Saran Kouyeth was fifth in 23.99, which also would be a PR if not for the wind.
Bryant's runner-up finish came in the men's 400-meter hurdles, the first running event of the day. His time was 54.23 as he beat out the third-place finisher by more than two seconds.
Two Boilermakers notched top-five finishes in the women's 400 hurdles, led by freshman K'Ja Talley, who was fourth in 1:01.25. Fellow freshman Anna Maria Leszczynska placed fifth in 1:01.47.
In the men's hammer throw, freshman Johnny Vanos notched a personal-best throw of 57.92 meters to place fourth overall. The mark came on his fifth attempt.
Additionally, senior Rebecca Coan (29.83m) and freshman Daniel Owens (47.69m) notched personal-best marks in the women's and men's javelin, respectively. In the women's 200, senior Samara Miller (24.66) and freshman Cierra Williams (24.24) earned times that would be career-records if they weren't wind-aided.
Action continues tomorrow at both meets. The Jesse Owens Invitational, which features 17 events for the Boilermakers, commences at 11 a.m. At the Big Ten Indiana Invitational No. 4, five men and one woman run in the 1,500 at 7:35 p.m.
Fans can follow all the action from Columbus (Live Results | Event Schedule | Meet Program) and Bloomington (Live Results | Event Schedule | Meet Program), with direct links also available on the track & field schedule page on PurdueSports.com/TrackField. Additional updates from both meets can be found by connecting with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Please note, fans who have followed live results of Purdue's meets at IU earlier this season might have to clear their internet browser history to view this weekend's results.
Smith's school-record time came at the Big Ten Indiana Invitational No. 4 in Bloomington, Indiana, and Purdue also competed at the Jesse Owens Invitational in Columbus, Ohio.
"We had some very good performances today as we close out the last weekend of competition before we begin our championship preparation," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "Noteworthy so far is Brody Smith, who broke the steeplechase school record. Anna Morozov and Taylor Mortensen had PR performances today as well."
At IU's Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex, Smith finished in 8:43.77 to break the seven-year-old Purdue record of 8:44.37, set in 2014 by Jake Waterman. Smith's time is the fastest in the Big Ten this season and sixth-fastest in the nation. He improved is personal-best time by more than four seconds.
Additionally, sophomore Taylor Mortensen (fourth, 10:37.90) and freshman Anna Morozov (sixth, 11:17.22) ran personal-best times in the women's 3,000 steeplechase on Friday night in Bloomington. Mortensen's PR is by almost 15 seconds and Morozov's is by more than 10 seconds, as both topped their previous-best times set earlier this month.
BRODY SMITH!! 🏃💨
— Purdue Track & Field / Cross Country (@PurdueTrackXC) May 1, 2021
The senior breaks the school record in the 3,000 steeplechase to win the event in 8:43.77. It's the fastest time in the Big Ten and 6th-fastest in the country this season.#BoilerUp 🚂 pic.twitter.com/hSa0Lk3Ttv
On a windy afternoon at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Purdue recorded a trio of runner-up finishes. Senior Samson Colebrooke, sophomore Camille Christopher and freshman Jabari Bryant all placed second to go along with six additional top-five finishes. In the eight events contested on the opening day at OSU, the Boilermakers set three career-best marks, along with four wind-aided PRs.
In the men's 200-meter dash, Colebrooke was second with a wind-aided time of 20.73 seconds, as he finished just 0.005 seconds behind the winner. Senior Malcolm Dotson placed fourth in 21.02 and freshman Marcellus Moore was fifth in 21.08, all wind-aided marks.
Christopher placed second in the women's 200 in 23.30. Her time would be a PR and the fifth-best in school history if it weren't wind-aided. Freshman Saran Kouyeth was fifth in 23.99, which also would be a PR if not for the wind.
Bryant's runner-up finish came in the men's 400-meter hurdles, the first running event of the day. His time was 54.23 as he beat out the third-place finisher by more than two seconds.
Two Boilermakers notched top-five finishes in the women's 400 hurdles, led by freshman K'Ja Talley, who was fourth in 1:01.25. Fellow freshman Anna Maria Leszczynska placed fifth in 1:01.47.
In the men's hammer throw, freshman Johnny Vanos notched a personal-best throw of 57.92 meters to place fourth overall. The mark came on his fifth attempt.
Additionally, senior Rebecca Coan (29.83m) and freshman Daniel Owens (47.69m) notched personal-best marks in the women's and men's javelin, respectively. In the women's 200, senior Samara Miller (24.66) and freshman Cierra Williams (24.24) earned times that would be career-records if they weren't wind-aided.
Action continues tomorrow at both meets. The Jesse Owens Invitational, which features 17 events for the Boilermakers, commences at 11 a.m. At the Big Ten Indiana Invitational No. 4, five men and one woman run in the 1,500 at 7:35 p.m.
Fans can follow all the action from Columbus (Live Results | Event Schedule | Meet Program) and Bloomington (Live Results | Event Schedule | Meet Program), with direct links also available on the track & field schedule page on PurdueSports.com/TrackField. Additional updates from both meets can be found by connecting with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Please note, fans who have followed live results of Purdue's meets at IU earlier this season might have to clear their internet browser history to view this weekend's results.