JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Purdue track & field team qualified two events to the national championships on Friday, May 26, at the 2023 NCAA East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Florida.
On a cool and windy evening at North Florida's Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium, the Boilermakers' 4x100 relay team punched their ticket to the NCAA Championships before sophomore Praise Aniamaka qualified in the triple jump. Both placed 10th overall in their events, as the top 12 finishers advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Austin, Texas, from June 7-10.
The 4x100 relay finished in 39.88 seconds to earn the second of three non-automatic-qualifying spots by 0.10 seconds. Junior Jahn Riley, fifth-year Justin Becker and freshmen Connor Czajkowski and Eric Young II ran the foursome's second-fastest time this season to secure the nationals berth. They came into the meet as the No. 18 seed before finishing 10th.
Becker will go to the NCAA championships in the 4x100 for the fourth time in as many years as a Boilermaker. Czajkowski, Riley and Young II all earned their first nationals berth.
Aniamaka also will go to his first national championships thanks to a mark of 15.80 meters in the triple jump. The third-best jump of the season for Aniamaka came on his first of three attempts. He finished 10th overall after earning a No. 11 seed. Aniamaka posted the top-12 finish by 0.16m, and his third jump of 15.66m also would have been good enough to advance.
Freshman Seth Allen opened the day in the discus. He placed 31st overall with a throw of 53.26m. Just shy of his personal best set two weeks ago at the Big Ten Championships, the throw came on his first attempt. Allen entered the meet, his inaugural NCAA appearance, as the No. 46 seed.
The 4x100, Aniamaka and Allen are three of 11 entries at the four-day NCAA East Prelims. In each event, Purdue is competing for a top-12 finish and a qualification to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Austin, Texas, from June 7-10.
On Wednesday, Czajkowski entered the record books in the 200m in his NCAA debut as three Boilermakers competed to begin the weekend. On Thursday, junior Cierra Williams advanced to the quarterfinal in the 400-meters.
Purdue is represented by 18 competitors in 11 events, eight individual and three relays, at the four-day NCAA East Preliminary Round. Six women's events and five men's events for Purdue earned a spot at the regional meet for a chance to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
The women conclude the meet on Saturday, May 27. Action gets underway for the Old Gold and Black with the high jump at 2:30 p.m. ET and the 4x100 relay at 5 p.m. The triple jump is at 6 p.m., the 400m quarterfinal is at 6:50 p.m. and the meet concludes with the 4x400 relay at 8:45 p.m.
Fans unable to cheer on the Boilermakers in person can follow along with live results, and watch all of the action live on ESPN+, with live streams beginning at 5 p.m. Additional East Prelims information, including tickets and the complete schedule, is available at UNFOspreys.com and at NCAA.com. Updates from Jacksonville, including schedule adjustments should weather have an impact, can be found by following and connecting with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Direct links to follow along also are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
The NCAA East Prelims, along with the West Prelims, feature 48 qualifiers in each individual event and 24 teams in each relay. The top 12 finishers in every event from both the east and west will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Austin, Texas, from June 7-10.
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.
On a cool and windy evening at North Florida's Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium, the Boilermakers' 4x100 relay team punched their ticket to the NCAA Championships before sophomore Praise Aniamaka qualified in the triple jump. Both placed 10th overall in their events, as the top 12 finishers advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Austin, Texas, from June 7-10.
The 4x100 relay finished in 39.88 seconds to earn the second of three non-automatic-qualifying spots by 0.10 seconds. Junior Jahn Riley, fifth-year Justin Becker and freshmen Connor Czajkowski and Eric Young II ran the foursome's second-fastest time this season to secure the nationals berth. They came into the meet as the No. 18 seed before finishing 10th.
Becker will go to the NCAA championships in the 4x100 for the fourth time in as many years as a Boilermaker. Czajkowski, Riley and Young II all earned their first nationals berth.
Ticket punched!#BoilerUp 🚂 x #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/t7t45JY7Qz
— Purdue Track & Field / Cross Country (@PurdueTrackXC) May 26, 2023
Aniamaka also will go to his first national championships thanks to a mark of 15.80 meters in the triple jump. The third-best jump of the season for Aniamaka came on his first of three attempts. He finished 10th overall after earning a No. 11 seed. Aniamaka posted the top-12 finish by 0.16m, and his third jump of 15.66m also would have been good enough to advance.
Next stop, nationals!#BoilerUp 🚂 x #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/3eyj55OOdq
— Purdue Track & Field / Cross Country (@PurdueTrackXC) May 27, 2023
Freshman Seth Allen opened the day in the discus. He placed 31st overall with a throw of 53.26m. Just shy of his personal best set two weeks ago at the Big Ten Championships, the throw came on his first attempt. Allen entered the meet, his inaugural NCAA appearance, as the No. 46 seed.
The 4x100, Aniamaka and Allen are three of 11 entries at the four-day NCAA East Prelims. In each event, Purdue is competing for a top-12 finish and a qualification to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Austin, Texas, from June 7-10.
On Wednesday, Czajkowski entered the record books in the 200m in his NCAA debut as three Boilermakers competed to begin the weekend. On Thursday, junior Cierra Williams advanced to the quarterfinal in the 400-meters.
Purdue is represented by 18 competitors in 11 events, eight individual and three relays, at the four-day NCAA East Preliminary Round. Six women's events and five men's events for Purdue earned a spot at the regional meet for a chance to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
The women conclude the meet on Saturday, May 27. Action gets underway for the Old Gold and Black with the high jump at 2:30 p.m. ET and the 4x100 relay at 5 p.m. The triple jump is at 6 p.m., the 400m quarterfinal is at 6:50 p.m. and the meet concludes with the 4x400 relay at 8:45 p.m.
Fans unable to cheer on the Boilermakers in person can follow along with live results, and watch all of the action live on ESPN+, with live streams beginning at 5 p.m. Additional East Prelims information, including tickets and the complete schedule, is available at UNFOspreys.com and at NCAA.com. Updates from Jacksonville, including schedule adjustments should weather have an impact, can be found by following and connecting with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Direct links to follow along also are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
The NCAA East Prelims, along with the West Prelims, feature 48 qualifiers in each individual event and 24 teams in each relay. The top 12 finishers in every event from both the east and west will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Austin, Texas, from June 7-10.
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.