CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Championship season commences for the Purdue track & field team at the 2021 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Champaign, Illinois, from May 14-16.
The three-day event is hosted by Illinois at Gary R. Wieneke Track at Demirjian Park.
The meet begins on Friday, May 14, with multi events at 12:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. CT, field events at 2:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. CT, and running events at 6:35 p.m. ET / 5:35 p.m. CT. On Saturday, May 15, multi events commence at 11:30 a.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. CT, field events start at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT, and running events begin at 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT. The championships conclude on Sunday, May 16, with field events at noon ET / 11 a.m. CT and running events at 1:45 p.m. ET / 12:45 p.m. CT.
Fans can follow all the action with live results, free live streams on BTN+ of both track and field events, and the event schedule. Direct links are available on the track & field schedule page on PurdueSports.com/TrackField and on the Big Ten's Championships Central page. Additional updates can be found by following the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Fifty Boilermakers, 28 women and 22 men, will represent the Old Gold and Black this weekend. The squad begins the championship season having set 14 top-10 marks in program history during the outdoor campaign, with one school record.
TOP-25 BOILERMAKERS
In the latest USTFCCCA national rankings, the Boilermaker men are No. 6 in the Big Ten and the women are No. 10. In the Event Squad Rankings, the men are No. 6 nationally in the 200 and No. 10 in the 100, while the women are 16th in the high jump.
Individually, sophomore Isaiah Martin is No. 11 in the decathlon after he scored 7,576 points on April 16, which ranks No. 2 in school history. Junior Jalil Brewer is No. 14 in the shot put thanks to a winning throw of 19.70 meters on April 2, and senior Brody Smith is No. 15 in the 3,000 steeplechase thanks to a school-record mark of 8:43.77 on April 30. Junior Tamar Greene is 19th in the triple jump with a wind-aided mark of 16.00 meters, earned on April 2. Additionally, the men's 4x100 relay team of seniors Samson Colebrooke and Malcolm Dotson, sophomore Justin Becker and freshman Marcellus Moore is No. 18 with a time of 39.57 set on March 26.
HISTORY AT THE BIG TEN OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Purdue women have won three Big Ten outdoor championships, in 1987, 1999 and 2017. The men have three runner-up finishes, most recently in 2003. The women's squad has placed in the top-four in four of the last six seasons, while the men have registered a pair of third-place showings in the last four championships. The 2020 outdoor season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the 2019 Big Ten Championships, the Purdue men were third, with 96 points, and the women were ninth, with 39 points. Brewer (shot put), Greene (triple jump) and the men's 4x100 relay of Becker, Samson Colebrooke, Greene and Waseem Williams won gold, and Janae' Moffitt took silver in the high jump. Additionally, six Boilermakers won bronze.
2020-21 CROSS COUNTRY AND INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN REVIEW
Purdue won nine medals at the 2021 Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships, with a gold by Alexis Zatta in the high jump, three silvers and five bronzes. The Boilermakers totaled 22 top-eight podium finishes.
The men finished sixth as a team to earn a sixth-place finish for a third consecutive year. The three-year run comes after they placed outside the top nine each of the previous four years (2015-18) and nine of the previous 13 (2006-18), and it's the longest stretch in the top six since a seven-year streak from 1998-2004.
The men's cross country team placed third at the 2020-21 Big Ten Championships, as Curt Eckstein led the squad with a fifth-place finish. Purdue has finished in the top four in three consecutive years for the first time since 1948. Additionally, the men have four consecutive top-five finishes after not placing in the top-five since 1986.
The women's cross country team and indoor track & field squad both placed 10th at their respective Big Ten Championship meets.
Zatta (indoor track & field) and Eckstein (cross country) collected All-Big Ten First Team accolades, and Martin, Williams and Camille Christopher earned indoor track & field All-Big Ten Second Team honors. Additionally, Smith and Rachel Anderson (cross country) and Williams and Kaia Harris (indoor track & field) were Purdue's Sportsmanship Award recipients.
BOILERMAKER MEN NO. 8 IN THE PROGRAM OF THE YEAR AWARD RANKINGS
The Purdue men's track & field and cross country program is ranked No. 8 nationally in the Program of the Year mid-year update, which was unveiled by the USTFCCCA.
Among all men's NCAA Division I programs, Purdue is one of just 10 men's teams nationally and one of three in the Big Ten that remain eligible for the Program of the Year Award, which recognizes programs that show consistent success at NCAA Championships in a given academic year. To be ranked, teams must place at the NCAA cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field championship meets.
UP NEXT: NCAA EAST REGIONALS
Qualifying student-athletes will compete at the NCAA East Regionals, from May 26-29, in Jacksonville, Florida. The complete list of qualifiers will be announced next week.
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.
The three-day event is hosted by Illinois at Gary R. Wieneke Track at Demirjian Park.
The meet begins on Friday, May 14, with multi events at 12:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. CT, field events at 2:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. CT, and running events at 6:35 p.m. ET / 5:35 p.m. CT. On Saturday, May 15, multi events commence at 11:30 a.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. CT, field events start at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT, and running events begin at 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT. The championships conclude on Sunday, May 16, with field events at noon ET / 11 a.m. CT and running events at 1:45 p.m. ET / 12:45 p.m. CT.
Fans can follow all the action with live results, free live streams on BTN+ of both track and field events, and the event schedule. Direct links are available on the track & field schedule page on PurdueSports.com/TrackField and on the Big Ten's Championships Central page. Additional updates can be found by following the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Fifty Boilermakers, 28 women and 22 men, will represent the Old Gold and Black this weekend. The squad begins the championship season having set 14 top-10 marks in program history during the outdoor campaign, with one school record.
TOP-25 BOILERMAKERS
In the latest USTFCCCA national rankings, the Boilermaker men are No. 6 in the Big Ten and the women are No. 10. In the Event Squad Rankings, the men are No. 6 nationally in the 200 and No. 10 in the 100, while the women are 16th in the high jump.
Individually, sophomore Isaiah Martin is No. 11 in the decathlon after he scored 7,576 points on April 16, which ranks No. 2 in school history. Junior Jalil Brewer is No. 14 in the shot put thanks to a winning throw of 19.70 meters on April 2, and senior Brody Smith is No. 15 in the 3,000 steeplechase thanks to a school-record mark of 8:43.77 on April 30. Junior Tamar Greene is 19th in the triple jump with a wind-aided mark of 16.00 meters, earned on April 2. Additionally, the men's 4x100 relay team of seniors Samson Colebrooke and Malcolm Dotson, sophomore Justin Becker and freshman Marcellus Moore is No. 18 with a time of 39.57 set on March 26.
HISTORY AT THE BIG TEN OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Purdue women have won three Big Ten outdoor championships, in 1987, 1999 and 2017. The men have three runner-up finishes, most recently in 2003. The women's squad has placed in the top-four in four of the last six seasons, while the men have registered a pair of third-place showings in the last four championships. The 2020 outdoor season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the 2019 Big Ten Championships, the Purdue men were third, with 96 points, and the women were ninth, with 39 points. Brewer (shot put), Greene (triple jump) and the men's 4x100 relay of Becker, Samson Colebrooke, Greene and Waseem Williams won gold, and Janae' Moffitt took silver in the high jump. Additionally, six Boilermakers won bronze.
2020-21 CROSS COUNTRY AND INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN REVIEW
Purdue won nine medals at the 2021 Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships, with a gold by Alexis Zatta in the high jump, three silvers and five bronzes. The Boilermakers totaled 22 top-eight podium finishes.
The men finished sixth as a team to earn a sixth-place finish for a third consecutive year. The three-year run comes after they placed outside the top nine each of the previous four years (2015-18) and nine of the previous 13 (2006-18), and it's the longest stretch in the top six since a seven-year streak from 1998-2004.
The men's cross country team placed third at the 2020-21 Big Ten Championships, as Curt Eckstein led the squad with a fifth-place finish. Purdue has finished in the top four in three consecutive years for the first time since 1948. Additionally, the men have four consecutive top-five finishes after not placing in the top-five since 1986.
The women's cross country team and indoor track & field squad both placed 10th at their respective Big Ten Championship meets.
Zatta (indoor track & field) and Eckstein (cross country) collected All-Big Ten First Team accolades, and Martin, Williams and Camille Christopher earned indoor track & field All-Big Ten Second Team honors. Additionally, Smith and Rachel Anderson (cross country) and Williams and Kaia Harris (indoor track & field) were Purdue's Sportsmanship Award recipients.
BOILERMAKER MEN NO. 8 IN THE PROGRAM OF THE YEAR AWARD RANKINGS
The Purdue men's track & field and cross country program is ranked No. 8 nationally in the Program of the Year mid-year update, which was unveiled by the USTFCCCA.
Among all men's NCAA Division I programs, Purdue is one of just 10 men's teams nationally and one of three in the Big Ten that remain eligible for the Program of the Year Award, which recognizes programs that show consistent success at NCAA Championships in a given academic year. To be ranked, teams must place at the NCAA cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field championship meets.
UP NEXT: NCAA EAST REGIONALS
Qualifying student-athletes will compete at the NCAA East Regionals, from May 26-29, in Jacksonville, Florida. The complete list of qualifiers will be announced next week.
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.