EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Senior Curt Eckstein and junior Emma Tate earned All-Region honors as the Purdue men's and women's cross country teams each finished ninth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Cross Country Championships in Evansville, Indiana, on Friday.
Eckstein was 14th overall on the 10k men's course, and Tate finished 25th in the 6k women's event. Each were recognized on the All-Region team, Eckstein for the fourth time in his career and Tate for the first time. Tate is the first Boilermaker woman to earn the honor since 2017.
As a team, the men were ninth with 221 points, as the top five finishers placed in the top 55. The women also were ninth, with 226 points, as four runners placed in the top 51.
"The women put themselves up there and competed with a lot of resilience the whole race," Purdue coach John Oliver said. "It's a young team that has grown together and individually throughout the season. The men had a tough last couple of kilometers, and that's definitely an item we want to improve upon and make our strength for the future. Every race is an opportunity for growth. We will take this one as the past ones and look to improve.
"For the potential for Curt and Emma Tate to make the national meet individually is a testament to their hard work and dedication. We will be watching the selection show tomorrow at 5 pm with excitement."
The NCAA Selection Show is set for Saturday, November 13, at 5 p.m. ET, on NCAA.com. Qualifying teams and individual runners for the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships will be announced, with the championship meet set for Saturday, November 20, in Tallahassee, Florida.
On Friday afternoon in Evansville, Eckstein was 14th overall in 30:07.1. With a career-best 10k time, he finished less than 1.50 seconds ahead of the next two fastest finishers to secure 14th place. The senior moved up four spots in the final 4,000 meters to earn his second-best Great Lakes finish.
Tate ran the 6k course in 20.29.8 to earn a top-25 finish by 4.0 seconds. Her final 2,000 meters saw her move up five places to secure the 25th-place showing, and her 6k time is a personal-best by more than 40 seconds.
Junior Alec Fleming was 47th for the men in 30:57.5, a personal-best 10k time and his best regional finish. He was just ahead of three Boilermaker seniors, as Tyler Bowling was 52nd in 31:08.2, Joey Humes was 53rd in 31:09.7 and Bailey McIntire was 55th in 31:10.8. Additionally, sophomore Andrew Brandt was 75th in 31:36.0, a collegiate-best time, and junior Blake Selm was 82nd in 31:48.5.
Two sophomore women, in their first NCAA cross country meet, joined Tate with top-50 finishes, as Payne Turney was 39th in 20:48.9 and Katelyn Wasson was 41st in 20:49.0. Freshman Emma Squires was 51st in 21:04.3, while sophomore Ellie Tate was 70th in 21:19.4. Senior Megan Slamkowski was 84th in 21:41.1 and freshman Lauren Bales was 102nd in 22:01.1.
In the team race, Notre Dame took both the men's and women's regional titles, with 37 and 56 points respectively. Wisconsin was second with 87 men's points and 69 women's points.
For more on the Purdue cross country and track & field and program, visit PurdueSports.com/CrossCountry and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Eckstein was 14th overall on the 10k men's course, and Tate finished 25th in the 6k women's event. Each were recognized on the All-Region team, Eckstein for the fourth time in his career and Tate for the first time. Tate is the first Boilermaker woman to earn the honor since 2017.
As a team, the men were ninth with 221 points, as the top five finishers placed in the top 55. The women also were ninth, with 226 points, as four runners placed in the top 51.
"The women put themselves up there and competed with a lot of resilience the whole race," Purdue coach John Oliver said. "It's a young team that has grown together and individually throughout the season. The men had a tough last couple of kilometers, and that's definitely an item we want to improve upon and make our strength for the future. Every race is an opportunity for growth. We will take this one as the past ones and look to improve.
"For the potential for Curt and Emma Tate to make the national meet individually is a testament to their hard work and dedication. We will be watching the selection show tomorrow at 5 pm with excitement."
The NCAA Selection Show is set for Saturday, November 13, at 5 p.m. ET, on NCAA.com. Qualifying teams and individual runners for the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships will be announced, with the championship meet set for Saturday, November 20, in Tallahassee, Florida.
On Friday afternoon in Evansville, Eckstein was 14th overall in 30:07.1. With a career-best 10k time, he finished less than 1.50 seconds ahead of the next two fastest finishers to secure 14th place. The senior moved up four spots in the final 4,000 meters to earn his second-best Great Lakes finish.
Tate ran the 6k course in 20.29.8 to earn a top-25 finish by 4.0 seconds. Her final 2,000 meters saw her move up five places to secure the 25th-place showing, and her 6k time is a personal-best by more than 40 seconds.
Junior Alec Fleming was 47th for the men in 30:57.5, a personal-best 10k time and his best regional finish. He was just ahead of three Boilermaker seniors, as Tyler Bowling was 52nd in 31:08.2, Joey Humes was 53rd in 31:09.7 and Bailey McIntire was 55th in 31:10.8. Additionally, sophomore Andrew Brandt was 75th in 31:36.0, a collegiate-best time, and junior Blake Selm was 82nd in 31:48.5.
Two sophomore women, in their first NCAA cross country meet, joined Tate with top-50 finishes, as Payne Turney was 39th in 20:48.9 and Katelyn Wasson was 41st in 20:49.0. Freshman Emma Squires was 51st in 21:04.3, while sophomore Ellie Tate was 70th in 21:19.4. Senior Megan Slamkowski was 84th in 21:41.1 and freshman Lauren Bales was 102nd in 22:01.1.
In the team race, Notre Dame took both the men's and women's regional titles, with 37 and 56 points respectively. Wisconsin was second with 87 men's points and 69 women's points.
For more on the Purdue cross country and track & field and program, visit PurdueSports.com/CrossCountry and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.