BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Sophomore Praise Aniamaka won the Big Ten triple jump title as the Purdue track & field team claimed three medals on the third and final day of the 2023 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Bloomington, Indiana, on Sunday, May 14.
Aniamaka won gold in the triple jump to claim Purdue's fourth consecutive title outdoors in the event. The men's 4x100 and women's 4x400 relay teams also took home bronze medals on a warm, sun-filled Sunday at Indiana's Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex. The Boilermakers notched 11 top-eight podium finishes to conclude the weekend.
In total at the three-day conference championship meet, Purdue won four medals, one gold, one silver and two bronze, with eight more top-eight podium finishes. Four top-10 marks in team history were achieved and 25 personal-best marks were set.
The triple jump began the day, and Aniamaka's winning jump came on his second attempt with a mark of 16.03 meters. It was the seventh-best jump in program history, as Aniamaka entered the top-10 list. Coming into the meet as the No. 8 overall seed, his sixth and final jump of 15.98m also would have been a PR and a top-10 mark in the record books before he eclipsed 16.00m for the first time.
Gold is Aniamaka's third career Big Ten medal, along with a pair of bronzes indoors. His winning jump also checks in at No. 11 in the NCAA East region.
Purdue started the day on the track with a bronze medal by the men's 4x100 relay team. Junior Jahn Riley, fifth-year Justin Becker and freshmen Connor Czajkowski and Eric Young II ran a season-best time of 39.87 and won a medal by 0.47 seconds. Before their third-place finish, the foursome was seeded sixth.
Similarly, the day concluded with another bronze medal, this time courtesy of the women's 4x400 relay. Junior K'Ja Talley, senior Saran Kouyeth, junior Cierra Williams and freshman Jaylie Lohmeyer posted a time of 3:33.76 and took third by almost two seconds.
The women's 4x100 quickly followed the men with a fourth-place finish of their own, in 44.57. That was thanks to Kouyeth, Talley, junior Naomi Campbell and fifth-year Camille Christopher.
Becker and Williams ran top-10 times in school history on Friday and Saturday, respectively, to qualify for the finals, and they followed it up with sixth-place finishes on Sunday.
Becker entered the record books with the sixth-fastest 200-meter time on Friday, and then ran a 20.83 to place sixth in the final on Sunday. It's his 10th career Big Ten podium finish, indoors and outdoors, and his fourth individually. At his final conference championships in 2023, Becker reached the podium a total of five times indoors and outdoors in 2023, including in the 200m and 4x100 Sunday in Bloomington.
Williams moved up to No. 3 in team history in the 400m yesterday before she was sixth in the final in 52.60 on Sunday. As she earned her best career individual Big Ten finish, Williams notched her eighth career spot on the podium and fourth individually.
Sophomore Rieko Wilford also was sixth for her best career Big Ten placement. Her performance came in the triple jump courtesy of a mark of 12.76m. It came on Wilford's final attempt to move her up from seventh and secure her second career spot on the podium.
Fifth-year Jessica Bray concluded her career on the podium as she tied for seventh in the pole vault. She cleared 3.96m on her first attempt to place in the top eight and earn points for the first time outdoors.
Sophomore Nathan Walker was seventh in the 5,000m in 14:20.69. He made the podium for the first time in his career after he entered the meet as the No. 15 seed.
In her final career Big Ten Championships race, Christopher was eighth in the 200m final. She crossed the finish line in 23.84, which secured a 12th spot on the Big Ten podium in her career and eighth individually.
Junior LJ Hill reached the podium for the fifth time in his career with an eighth-place finish in the triple jump. His mark of 14.88m was on his sixth and final attempt to move him up from ninth and secure a second spot on the podium in 2023, along with the long jump indoors.
Additionally on Sunday, freshman Seth Allen was 10th in the discus with a throw of 53.96m. The personal-best mark was just shy of a spot in the finals and a place on Purdue's top-10 list. Freshman Leo Maxwell also had a PR in the event with a throw of 47.80m.
In the final team standings, Nebraska won the men's title (151 points) and Michigan claimed the women's crown (139 points). The Minnesota men (122) and Ohio State women (123) were the runners-up. The Purdue men (22) and women (27.5) finished 12th.
On Saturday, Craig won a silver medal in the heptathlon and Williams ran a top-10 time in team history in the 400m. On Friday, Becker ran the sixth-fastest 200m time in the record books and Walker moved up to No. 8 all-time in the 1,500m.
Coming up, select Boilermakers will compete at the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Florida, from May 24-27. Qualifiers for the regional meet 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.
Aniamaka won gold in the triple jump to claim Purdue's fourth consecutive title outdoors in the event. The men's 4x100 and women's 4x400 relay teams also took home bronze medals on a warm, sun-filled Sunday at Indiana's Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex. The Boilermakers notched 11 top-eight podium finishes to conclude the weekend.
In total at the three-day conference championship meet, Purdue won four medals, one gold, one silver and two bronze, with eight more top-eight podium finishes. Four top-10 marks in team history were achieved and 25 personal-best marks were set.
The triple jump began the day, and Aniamaka's winning jump came on his second attempt with a mark of 16.03 meters. It was the seventh-best jump in program history, as Aniamaka entered the top-10 list. Coming into the meet as the No. 8 overall seed, his sixth and final jump of 15.98m also would have been a PR and a top-10 mark in the record books before he eclipsed 16.00m for the first time.
Gold is Aniamaka's third career Big Ten medal, along with a pair of bronzes indoors. His winning jump also checks in at No. 11 in the NCAA East region.
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Purdue started the day on the track with a bronze medal by the men's 4x100 relay team. Junior Jahn Riley, fifth-year Justin Becker and freshmen Connor Czajkowski and Eric Young II ran a season-best time of 39.87 and won a medal by 0.47 seconds. Before their third-place finish, the foursome was seeded sixth.
Similarly, the day concluded with another bronze medal, this time courtesy of the women's 4x400 relay. Junior K'Ja Talley, senior Saran Kouyeth, junior Cierra Williams and freshman Jaylie Lohmeyer posted a time of 3:33.76 and took third by almost two seconds.
The women's 4x100 quickly followed the men with a fourth-place finish of their own, in 44.57. That was thanks to Kouyeth, Talley, junior Naomi Campbell and fifth-year Camille Christopher.
Becker and Williams ran top-10 times in school history on Friday and Saturday, respectively, to qualify for the finals, and they followed it up with sixth-place finishes on Sunday.
Becker entered the record books with the sixth-fastest 200-meter time on Friday, and then ran a 20.83 to place sixth in the final on Sunday. It's his 10th career Big Ten podium finish, indoors and outdoors, and his fourth individually. At his final conference championships in 2023, Becker reached the podium a total of five times indoors and outdoors in 2023, including in the 200m and 4x100 Sunday in Bloomington.
Williams moved up to No. 3 in team history in the 400m yesterday before she was sixth in the final in 52.60 on Sunday. As she earned her best career individual Big Ten finish, Williams notched her eighth career spot on the podium and fourth individually.
Sophomore Rieko Wilford also was sixth for her best career Big Ten placement. Her performance came in the triple jump courtesy of a mark of 12.76m. It came on Wilford's final attempt to move her up from seventh and secure her second career spot on the podium.
Fifth-year Jessica Bray concluded her career on the podium as she tied for seventh in the pole vault. She cleared 3.96m on her first attempt to place in the top eight and earn points for the first time outdoors.
Sophomore Nathan Walker was seventh in the 5,000m in 14:20.69. He made the podium for the first time in his career after he entered the meet as the No. 15 seed.
In her final career Big Ten Championships race, Christopher was eighth in the 200m final. She crossed the finish line in 23.84, which secured a 12th spot on the Big Ten podium in her career and eighth individually.
Junior LJ Hill reached the podium for the fifth time in his career with an eighth-place finish in the triple jump. His mark of 14.88m was on his sixth and final attempt to move him up from ninth and secure a second spot on the podium in 2023, along with the long jump indoors.
Additionally on Sunday, freshman Seth Allen was 10th in the discus with a throw of 53.96m. The personal-best mark was just shy of a spot in the finals and a place on Purdue's top-10 list. Freshman Leo Maxwell also had a PR in the event with a throw of 47.80m.
In the final team standings, Nebraska won the men's title (151 points) and Michigan claimed the women's crown (139 points). The Minnesota men (122) and Ohio State women (123) were the runners-up. The Purdue men (22) and women (27.5) finished 12th.
On Saturday, Craig won a silver medal in the heptathlon and Williams ran a top-10 time in team history in the 400m. On Friday, Becker ran the sixth-fastest 200m time in the record books and Walker moved up to No. 8 all-time in the 1,500m.
Coming up, select Boilermakers will compete at the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Florida, from May 24-27. Qualifiers for the regional meet 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.