CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Purdue track & field team makes the short trip west to compete at the Fighting Illini Challenge in Champaign, Illinois, on Saturday, April 8.
The meet at Illinois' Demirjian Park begins for the Boilermakers with the women's triple jump at 12 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. CT, and Purdue's opening event on the track is the 100- and 110-meter hurdles at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT. The meet will conclude with the 5,00m, which starts at 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT.
Fans can follow along with live results and the full meet schedule, and direct links are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/TrackField. Additional updates can be found by following and connecting with the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Thirty-nine Boilermakers, 20 women and 19 men, are set to compete on Saturday. Along with Purdue and host-Illinois, the 19-team field at the Fighting Illini Challenge includes Big Ten foes Iowa and Northwestern.
PURDUE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Five Boilermakers and two relays appear in the top-25 in the second weekly national TFRI individual rankings, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Freshman Bryanna Craig is ranked No. 11 in the heptathlon and junior Logan Sandlin is No. 18 in the decathlon after both made their combined-event outdoor debuts last weekend. The women's 4x100 and 4x400 relay both are 14th nationally, as the 4x400 earned a time that is fifth-best in school history.
A pair of fifth-years are No. 20 in their events with top-10 marks in Boilermaker history, courtesy of Justin Becker in the 200m and Johnny Vanos in the hammer throw, as they are No. 7 and No. 6 in the record books, respectively. Sophomore Rieko Wilford is 24th in the country in the triple jump, as she also is No. 4 on Purdue's top-10 list.
As a team, four events appear in the top-25 of the season's first #EventSquad rankings. The men's 100m is No. 12 and the women's 200m is 15th, while the men's hammer throw checks in at No. 16 and the men's discus is No. 22.
A RETURN TO ILLINOIS
Purdue returns to Illinois' Demirjian Park for the fourth time in the last three years. The Boilermakers helped open U of I's new track with the Fighting Illini Big Ten Relays and the Big Ten Championships in 2021. The Boilermakers returned to Champaign for the 2022 Illini Classic as part of a split weekend last year.
LAST TIME OUT: FOUR TOP-10 MARKS AND TEXAS RELAYS HIGHLIGHT WEEKEND
Purdue earned four top-10 marks in school history as part of a long weekend in Texas and Ohio from March 29-April 1. The Boilermakers competed at the four-day Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, the three-day Bobcat Invitational in San Marcos, Texas, and at one day of the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Senior Kerris Roberts and the women's 4x400 relay ran top-10 times at the prestigious Texas Relays. In the 200m invitational, Roberts finished in 23.34 to improve her personal-best time to remain at No. 6 in Purdue history. In the 4x400 final, the Boilermakers finished in 3:33.41, Purdue's fastest time in the event since 2018 and a mark that is fifth in the record books.
Meanwhile, Vanos and Wilford notched top-10 marks at the Bobcat Invitational. Wilford had a career-record jump of 12.90m in the triple jump to place second overall. Already at No. 5 in program history, she rose to No. 4 with the best jump by a Boilermaker since 2014. Vanos entered the top-10 list at No. 6 with a hammer throw mark of 66.32m. The throw was his fourth PR of the day and the second-best at Purdue since 2015.
Recaps from each day of the Texas Relays, Bobcat Invitational and Oliver Nikoloff Invitational (One | Two | Three | Four), including full results, can be found at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
NEXT UP: ON TO LOUISVILLE AND FLORIDA
The Old Gold and Black are back on the road at a pair of meets next weekend. Purdue will compete at the Louisville Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky and the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida, from April 14-15.
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 meet at Illinois' Demirjian Park begins for the Boilermakers with the women's triple jump at 12 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. CT, and Purdue's opening event on the track is the 100- and 110-meter hurdles at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT. The meet will conclude with the 5,00m, which starts at 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT.
Fans can follow along with live results and the full meet schedule, and direct links are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/TrackField. Additional updates can be found by following and connecting with the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Thirty-nine Boilermakers, 20 women and 19 men, are set to compete on Saturday. Along with Purdue and host-Illinois, the 19-team field at the Fighting Illini Challenge includes Big Ten foes Iowa and Northwestern.
PURDUE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Five Boilermakers and two relays appear in the top-25 in the second weekly national TFRI individual rankings, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Freshman Bryanna Craig is ranked No. 11 in the heptathlon and junior Logan Sandlin is No. 18 in the decathlon after both made their combined-event outdoor debuts last weekend. The women's 4x100 and 4x400 relay both are 14th nationally, as the 4x400 earned a time that is fifth-best in school history.
A pair of fifth-years are No. 20 in their events with top-10 marks in Boilermaker history, courtesy of Justin Becker in the 200m and Johnny Vanos in the hammer throw, as they are No. 7 and No. 6 in the record books, respectively. Sophomore Rieko Wilford is 24th in the country in the triple jump, as she also is No. 4 on Purdue's top-10 list.
As a team, four events appear in the top-25 of the season's first #EventSquad rankings. The men's 100m is No. 12 and the women's 200m is 15th, while the men's hammer throw checks in at No. 16 and the men's discus is No. 22.
A RETURN TO ILLINOIS
Purdue returns to Illinois' Demirjian Park for the fourth time in the last three years. The Boilermakers helped open U of I's new track with the Fighting Illini Big Ten Relays and the Big Ten Championships in 2021. The Boilermakers returned to Champaign for the 2022 Illini Classic as part of a split weekend last year.
LAST TIME OUT: FOUR TOP-10 MARKS AND TEXAS RELAYS HIGHLIGHT WEEKEND
Purdue earned four top-10 marks in school history as part of a long weekend in Texas and Ohio from March 29-April 1. The Boilermakers competed at the four-day Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, the three-day Bobcat Invitational in San Marcos, Texas, and at one day of the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Senior Kerris Roberts and the women's 4x400 relay ran top-10 times at the prestigious Texas Relays. In the 200m invitational, Roberts finished in 23.34 to improve her personal-best time to remain at No. 6 in Purdue history. In the 4x400 final, the Boilermakers finished in 3:33.41, Purdue's fastest time in the event since 2018 and a mark that is fifth in the record books.
Meanwhile, Vanos and Wilford notched top-10 marks at the Bobcat Invitational. Wilford had a career-record jump of 12.90m in the triple jump to place second overall. Already at No. 5 in program history, she rose to No. 4 with the best jump by a Boilermaker since 2014. Vanos entered the top-10 list at No. 6 with a hammer throw mark of 66.32m. The throw was his fourth PR of the day and the second-best at Purdue since 2015.
Recaps from each day of the Texas Relays, Bobcat Invitational and Oliver Nikoloff Invitational (One | Two | Three | Four), including full results, can be found at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
NEXT UP: ON TO LOUISVILLE AND FLORIDA
The Old Gold and Black are back on the road at a pair of meets next weekend. Purdue will compete at the Louisville Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky and the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida, from April 14-15.
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.