LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Another four top-10 marks in school history for the Purdue track & field team, including a trio in the top six, highlighted the opening day of the Lenny Lyles Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday.
Fifth-year Johnny Vanos moved up to No. 2 in the record books in the weight throw, as he continued his dominant start to the season with another win, while freshman Bryanna Craig made her collegiate pentathlon debut and entered the top-10 list at No. 5. Freshman Zachary Evans ran a pair of top-10 times in the 60-meter, with the eighth-fastest time in the prelims before topping it in the final with a mark that is tied for No. 6.
Senior Safin Wills joined Vanos with a win on Friday afternoon in the long jump, and fifth-year Jessica Bray notched a runner-up finish in the pole vault, both with season-best marks. Craig and Evans each were third as Purdue competed against 21 other teams at its first multi-day meet of 2022-23.
Vanos earned his third weight throw win in four meets this season, thanks to a mark of 22.10 meters on his sixth and final attempt. Already fourth in program history after a season-opening throw of 21.95m, Vanos jumped up two spots to No. 2 on Friday. His 22.10m is No. 6 in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten this year. Vanos notched Purdue's best throw since 2015 and became just the fourth Boilermaker to ever earn a mark of 22.00 or better. As he broke the facility record at Louisville's home track, his win came by a margin of 2.32 meters.
Meanwhile, Craig was competing in the pentathlon for the first time collegiately and finished with 3,968 points to come in at No. 5 in team history. It's the best pentathlon mark by a Boilermaker since 2020 and the second-best since 1997. The No. 9-ranked mark in the NCAA, and the best in the Big Ten, gave Craig a third-place finish.
Her day was highlighted by an 800m win in 2:16.02 and a personal-best long jump mark of 5.53m. Additionally, Craig was the high jump runner-up with a clearance of 1.71m and she began the day in fourth in the 60m hurdles in 8.76 seconds. Additionally, she had a shot put mark of 10.36m in her Boilermaker debut in the event.
On the track, Evans ran a pair of top-10 times in the 60m, the third and fourth time he has done that through just three meets in 2023. He entered the day tied for No. 9, with a 6.73, but moved up one spot into a tie for eighth with a prelim time of 6.71. Less than two hours later in the final, Evans finished in 6.69 seconds, tied for sixth-fastest in the Purdue record books. Evans was third overall in the event thanks to a time that is tied for second-fastest in the Big Ten this year.
Wills picked up his first win of the indoor campaign with a long jump mark of 7.44m. The jump came on his fifth attempt and is a season-best that sits at seventh in the conference.
Bray also earned a season-best mark, thanks to a clearance of 4.03m in the pole vault. She was second overall in the event and moved up to No. 7 in the Big Ten. Bray was one of 12 athletes to break the meet record in the open pole vault competition.
One week after a top-10 time in the 60m, fifth-year Camille Christopher backed it up with another strong performance on Friday, with identical times of 7.48 in the prelim and final. She placed fifth overall in the final. Senior Kerris Roberts added a season-best-tying 7.51 in the prelims.
Additionally on Friday, junior Logan Sandlin made his debut in the heptathlon and notched a personal-best long jump mark of 6.45m on the opening day of the two-day event. Personal-record performances also were earned by sophomores Cale Ayers (weight throw, 17.75m) and Paul Goins (60m hurdles, 8.18) and freshmen Seth Allen (weight throw, 16.15m) and Rebecca Caliendo (weight throw, 15.06m).
The weekend concludes on Saturday with the second day of the Lenny Lyles Invitational in addition to the distance runners racing at the Indiana University Relays in Bloomington, Indiana.
Action in Louisville at the Norton Healthcare Sport and Learning Center commences at 11 a.m. ET, with the conclusion of the heptathlon, the women's shot put and the men's pole vault. The final race is the 4x400 relay at 4:30 p.m. At IU's Gladstein Fieldhouse, the Boilermakers will run in the women's 800m at 12:50 p.m. and the women's and men's 3,000m at 1:40 p.m. and 2:25 p.m., respectively.
Fans unable to watch the Boilermakers in person can follow along with live results (Louisville | Indiana), and the meet schedules (Louisville | Indiana) at PurdueSports.com/TrackField. Additional updates can be found by following and connecting with the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
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.
Fifth-year Johnny Vanos moved up to No. 2 in the record books in the weight throw, as he continued his dominant start to the season with another win, while freshman Bryanna Craig made her collegiate pentathlon debut and entered the top-10 list at No. 5. Freshman Zachary Evans ran a pair of top-10 times in the 60-meter, with the eighth-fastest time in the prelims before topping it in the final with a mark that is tied for No. 6.
Senior Safin Wills joined Vanos with a win on Friday afternoon in the long jump, and fifth-year Jessica Bray notched a runner-up finish in the pole vault, both with season-best marks. Craig and Evans each were third as Purdue competed against 21 other teams at its first multi-day meet of 2022-23.
Vanos earned his third weight throw win in four meets this season, thanks to a mark of 22.10 meters on his sixth and final attempt. Already fourth in program history after a season-opening throw of 21.95m, Vanos jumped up two spots to No. 2 on Friday. His 22.10m is No. 6 in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten this year. Vanos notched Purdue's best throw since 2015 and became just the fourth Boilermaker to ever earn a mark of 22.00 or better. As he broke the facility record at Louisville's home track, his win came by a margin of 2.32 meters.
Meanwhile, Craig was competing in the pentathlon for the first time collegiately and finished with 3,968 points to come in at No. 5 in team history. It's the best pentathlon mark by a Boilermaker since 2020 and the second-best since 1997. The No. 9-ranked mark in the NCAA, and the best in the Big Ten, gave Craig a third-place finish.
Her day was highlighted by an 800m win in 2:16.02 and a personal-best long jump mark of 5.53m. Additionally, Craig was the high jump runner-up with a clearance of 1.71m and she began the day in fourth in the 60m hurdles in 8.76 seconds. Additionally, she had a shot put mark of 10.36m in her Boilermaker debut in the event.
On the track, Evans ran a pair of top-10 times in the 60m, the third and fourth time he has done that through just three meets in 2023. He entered the day tied for No. 9, with a 6.73, but moved up one spot into a tie for eighth with a prelim time of 6.71. Less than two hours later in the final, Evans finished in 6.69 seconds, tied for sixth-fastest in the Purdue record books. Evans was third overall in the event thanks to a time that is tied for second-fastest in the Big Ten this year.
Wills picked up his first win of the indoor campaign with a long jump mark of 7.44m. The jump came on his fifth attempt and is a season-best that sits at seventh in the conference.
Bray also earned a season-best mark, thanks to a clearance of 4.03m in the pole vault. She was second overall in the event and moved up to No. 7 in the Big Ten. Bray was one of 12 athletes to break the meet record in the open pole vault competition.
One week after a top-10 time in the 60m, fifth-year Camille Christopher backed it up with another strong performance on Friday, with identical times of 7.48 in the prelim and final. She placed fifth overall in the final. Senior Kerris Roberts added a season-best-tying 7.51 in the prelims.
Additionally on Friday, junior Logan Sandlin made his debut in the heptathlon and notched a personal-best long jump mark of 6.45m on the opening day of the two-day event. Personal-record performances also were earned by sophomores Cale Ayers (weight throw, 17.75m) and Paul Goins (60m hurdles, 8.18) and freshmen Seth Allen (weight throw, 16.15m) and Rebecca Caliendo (weight throw, 15.06m).
The weekend concludes on Saturday with the second day of the Lenny Lyles Invitational in addition to the distance runners racing at the Indiana University Relays in Bloomington, Indiana.
Action in Louisville at the Norton Healthcare Sport and Learning Center commences at 11 a.m. ET, with the conclusion of the heptathlon, the women's shot put and the men's pole vault. The final race is the 4x400 relay at 4:30 p.m. At IU's Gladstein Fieldhouse, the Boilermakers will run in the women's 800m at 12:50 p.m. and the women's and men's 3,000m at 1:40 p.m. and 2:25 p.m., respectively.
Fans unable to watch the Boilermakers in person can follow along with live results (Louisville | Indiana), and the meet schedules (Louisville | Indiana) at PurdueSports.com/TrackField. Additional updates can be found by following and connecting with the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
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.