BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Senior Kelly Cook Jr. and sophomore Safin Wills qualified for the NCAA Championships as the Purdue track & field team opened competition at the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Bloomington, Indiana, on Wednesday.
Cook Jr., in the hammer throw, and Wills, in the long jump, punched their ticket to the national championship meet while the Boilermakers earned three berths in Friday's quarterfinal and recorded three top-10 marks in school history.
Senior Antonio Mitchell II advanced in two events, the 200-meters with the seventh-fastest time in program history and in the 100m, and sophomore Jabari Bryant moved on in the 400m hurdles at No. 6 in the record books. Cook Jr.'s hammer throw mark also propelled him to No. 2 in Purdue history.
The Boilermakers had five competitors in six events on the opening day of competition on an off-and-on rainy day at Indiana's Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex. A total of 21 Boilermakers are competing at the four-day meet for a spot as one of the top 12 finishers in each event to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, from June 8-11.
In Wednesday's opening event, Cook Jr. registered a mark of 68.21m. It came on his third and final throw to move him up three places in the record books to second. The senior, who was in the second of three flights, finished seventh overall to secure his spot at the NCAA Championships. Cook Jr.'s PR was his second of the day, after a mark of 66.73m on his second throw. He entered the meet as the No. 17 seed before finishing 10 places higher.
Wills qualified for the national meet in the long jump, also on his final attempt. He finished 12th overall with a jump of 7.53m. That last jump gave Wills the final spot in the NCAA Championships, as he finished with a mark 0.06m better than the 13th-place finisher. At his first NCAA prelims, Wills, who also will compete in the triple jump on Friday, was the 15-seed in the long jump.
In the first round of the sprint events, all three Boilermaker entries advanced to Friday's quarterfinal, thanks to Mitchell II in the 100m and 200m and Bryant in the 400m hurdles.
Mitchell II ran the team's first event on the track, the 100m, and automatically qualified for the quarterfinal with the third-fastest time in the opening heat. He finished in 10.25 seconds, good for 19th overall.
Following a rain delay, Mitchell II also advanced in the 200m with the seventh-fastest time in program history. His time of 20.64 was second in his heat and 16th overall as he moved up one spot in the record books.
At his first NCAA east prelims, Bryant automatically advanced in the 400m hurdles with the third-fastest time in his heat. His mark of 51.55 seconds improved his place at No. 6 in school history and was 22nd overall at the meet. Bryant was seeded No. 36.
The final event of the day was the 10,000m, where senior Curt Eckstein was 21st. His season concluded with a time of 29:45.44 as he entered the meet with the No. 25 seed.
Due to inclement weather expected in the area again on Thursday, the schedule has been adjusted, and the Boilermaker women will be in action from 1:30-5:10 p.m. The men return to the track on Friday, with the squad's running and field events from 5-9 p.m. The weekend concludes on Saturday, as the women are set to compete at 1 p.m. and from 5-9 p.m.
Fans can follow all the action with live results, a live video stream and the revised event schedule. Tickets are available at IUHoosiers.com. Direct links can be found on the track & field schedule page on PurdueSports.com/TrackField and on IU's East Prelims headquarters page. Additional updates are available by following the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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.
Cook Jr., in the hammer throw, and Wills, in the long jump, punched their ticket to the national championship meet while the Boilermakers earned three berths in Friday's quarterfinal and recorded three top-10 marks in school history.
Senior Antonio Mitchell II advanced in two events, the 200-meters with the seventh-fastest time in program history and in the 100m, and sophomore Jabari Bryant moved on in the 400m hurdles at No. 6 in the record books. Cook Jr.'s hammer throw mark also propelled him to No. 2 in Purdue history.
The Boilermakers had five competitors in six events on the opening day of competition on an off-and-on rainy day at Indiana's Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex. A total of 21 Boilermakers are competing at the four-day meet for a spot as one of the top 12 finishers in each event to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, from June 8-11.
"We're going to Oregon, baby!"#BoilerUp 🚂 #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/1nmToTMSSf
— Purdue Track & Field / Cross Country (@PurdueTrackXC) May 25, 2022
In Wednesday's opening event, Cook Jr. registered a mark of 68.21m. It came on his third and final throw to move him up three places in the record books to second. The senior, who was in the second of three flights, finished seventh overall to secure his spot at the NCAA Championships. Cook Jr.'s PR was his second of the day, after a mark of 66.73m on his second throw. He entered the meet as the No. 17 seed before finishing 10 places higher.
Wills qualified for the national meet in the long jump, also on his final attempt. He finished 12th overall with a jump of 7.53m. That last jump gave Wills the final spot in the NCAA Championships, as he finished with a mark 0.06m better than the 13th-place finisher. At his first NCAA prelims, Wills, who also will compete in the triple jump on Friday, was the 15-seed in the long jump.
"Survive and advance!"#BoilerUp 🚂 #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/D4syKxEo1j
— Purdue Track & Field / Cross Country (@PurdueTrackXC) May 25, 2022
In the first round of the sprint events, all three Boilermaker entries advanced to Friday's quarterfinal, thanks to Mitchell II in the 100m and 200m and Bryant in the 400m hurdles.
Mitchell II ran the team's first event on the track, the 100m, and automatically qualified for the quarterfinal with the third-fastest time in the opening heat. He finished in 10.25 seconds, good for 19th overall.
Following a rain delay, Mitchell II also advanced in the 200m with the seventh-fastest time in program history. His time of 20.64 was second in his heat and 16th overall as he moved up one spot in the record books.
At his first NCAA east prelims, Bryant automatically advanced in the 400m hurdles with the third-fastest time in his heat. His mark of 51.55 seconds improved his place at No. 6 in school history and was 22nd overall at the meet. Bryant was seeded No. 36.
The final event of the day was the 10,000m, where senior Curt Eckstein was 21st. His season concluded with a time of 29:45.44 as he entered the meet with the No. 25 seed.
Due to inclement weather expected in the area again on Thursday, the schedule has been adjusted, and the Boilermaker women will be in action from 1:30-5:10 p.m. The men return to the track on Friday, with the squad's running and field events from 5-9 p.m. The weekend concludes on Saturday, as the women are set to compete at 1 p.m. and from 5-9 p.m.
Fans can follow all the action with live results, a live video stream and the revised event schedule. Tickets are available at IUHoosiers.com. Direct links can be found on the track & field schedule page on PurdueSports.com/TrackField and on IU's East Prelims headquarters page. Additional updates are available by following the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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.