BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Sophomore Safin Wills and the men's 4x100 relay team qualified for the NCAA Championships as the Purdue track & field team competed on the third day of the NCAA East Preliminary Round on Friday evening in Bloomington, Indiana.
Wills, who earned a berth in the long jump on Wednesday, advanced in the triple jump on Friday. He was joined by the 4x100 relay squad, who opened the day for the Boilermakers.
Today's two qualifiers are Purdue's fourth and fifth tickets punched to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, from June 8-11. Wills and the 4x100 are joined by senior Kelly Cook Jr., who advanced in the hammer throw on Wednesday, and junior Isaiah Martin, who will compete in the decathlon. On Saturday, the four-day meet at Indiana's Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex concludes with the second and final day for the women, as the Boilermakers will look to finish in the top 12 in their events to add to Purdue's NCAA Championships total.
Friday's action began with the 4x100 relay, where Purdue ran in the first of three heats and finished with a season-best time of 39.53 seconds. Seniors Amir Harris and Antonio Mitchell II, junior Justin Becker and freshman Tyneilus Morrow where fifth in their heat, two spots away from a top-three automatic qualifier.
They had to wait until the next two heats were contested to see if they earned one of the final three spots based on time. As the third and final heat finished, Purdue had the 11th-fastest time overall and secured the final non-automatic spot at the NCAA Championships. The team entered the meet with the No. 21 seed.
Wills earned his second NCAA berth in three days in the triple jump. He was ninth overall with a jump of 15.89 meters, which came on his first of three attempts. The junior, who made the national championships in 2021 in the triple jump, will compete in the triple jump and long jump in two weeks in Eugene.
Ninety-five minutes after Mitchell II ran in the 4x100, he raced in the 100m, and he also ran in the 200m 75 minutes after that. Mitchell II was 14th in the 200m in 20.76w, 0.05 seconds shy of a qualifying spot on time. In the 100m, he was 22nd in 10.39.
Also in the triple jump, senior Tamar Greene was 21st with a jump of 15.33m and sophomore LJ Hill was 29th with a mark of 15.25m.
Sophomore Jabari Bryant raced in the 400m hurdles quarterfinal on Friday. At his first NCAA prelims, he was 23rd in 51.93. Bryant entered the meet as the No. 36 seed.
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 full 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.
Wills, who earned a berth in the long jump on Wednesday, advanced in the triple jump on Friday. He was joined by the 4x100 relay squad, who opened the day for the Boilermakers.
Today's two qualifiers are Purdue's fourth and fifth tickets punched to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, from June 8-11. Wills and the 4x100 are joined by senior Kelly Cook Jr., who advanced in the hammer throw on Wednesday, and junior Isaiah Martin, who will compete in the decathlon. On Saturday, the four-day meet at Indiana's Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex concludes with the second and final day for the women, as the Boilermakers will look to finish in the top 12 in their events to add to Purdue's NCAA Championships total.
"We're in, we're in!!"#BoilerUp 🚂 #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/tYfeW2WWPj
— Purdue Track & Field / Cross Country (@PurdueTrackXC) May 28, 2022
Friday's action began with the 4x100 relay, where Purdue ran in the first of three heats and finished with a season-best time of 39.53 seconds. Seniors Amir Harris and Antonio Mitchell II, junior Justin Becker and freshman Tyneilus Morrow where fifth in their heat, two spots away from a top-three automatic qualifier.
They had to wait until the next two heats were contested to see if they earned one of the final three spots based on time. As the third and final heat finished, Purdue had the 11th-fastest time overall and secured the final non-automatic spot at the NCAA Championships. The team entered the meet with the No. 21 seed.
Wills earned his second NCAA berth in three days in the triple jump. He was ninth overall with a jump of 15.89 meters, which came on his first of three attempts. The junior, who made the national championships in 2021 in the triple jump, will compete in the triple jump and long jump in two weeks in Eugene.
That's 𝙏𝙒𝙊 NCAA-qualifying events for Safin Wills!!
— Purdue Track & Field / Cross Country (@PurdueTrackXC) May 28, 2022
Two days after advancing in the long jump, Safin also earns a berth in the triple jump! He has a jump of 15.89m to finish 9th.
📊 https://t.co/hFB2TGk0q5#BoilerUp 🚂 #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/XTcVgloDWP
Ninety-five minutes after Mitchell II ran in the 4x100, he raced in the 100m, and he also ran in the 200m 75 minutes after that. Mitchell II was 14th in the 200m in 20.76w, 0.05 seconds shy of a qualifying spot on time. In the 100m, he was 22nd in 10.39.
Also in the triple jump, senior Tamar Greene was 21st with a jump of 15.33m and sophomore LJ Hill was 29th with a mark of 15.25m.
Sophomore Jabari Bryant raced in the 400m hurdles quarterfinal on Friday. At his first NCAA prelims, he was 23rd in 51.93. Bryant entered the meet as the No. 36 seed.
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 full 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.