MADISON, Wis. – Racing in a highly-competitive field of nationally-ranked programs, the Purdue cross country team finished sixth and 11th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships on Friday in Madison, Wisconsin.
On a chilly and cloudy late morning and early afternoon, the Boilermaker men were sixth as a team and the women were 11th at Wisconsin's Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course. The men notched their best regional finish since they won it in 2019.
Sophomore Douglas Buckeridge earned Great Lakes All-Region Team accolades as he posted a 19th-place finish in the 10k event. With his top-25 finish, Buckeridge is the first Boilermaker to be recognized on the All-Region squad since 2021. Junior Emma Squires paced the women and was 49th in the 6k race.
Five Boilermakers earned their best career NCAA Great Lakes finish and eight were racing at their first NCAA postseason meet.
"With the addition of cross country powerhouses Butler and Notre Dame, our men once again were strong," Purdue head coach Norbert Elliott said. "We have ran well all season. We had strong performances from our top five, with Doug Buckeridge leading the way. Caleb Williams had a very good race today as well.
"I am very proud of our women's performance today. From the gun they positioned themselves in a very competitive spot. This was by far their best race of the season and good rebound from the Big Ten Championships two weeks ago. The performances today were a great way to end the cross country season. It gives our distance crew momentum going into the indoor season."
The Great Lakes Regional featured 34 women's programs and 31 men's teams, with the top two teams earning an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships next weekend. The Purdue men finished with 172 points, just behind four nationally-ranked squads and one that was receiving votes. No. 12 Butler won with 43 points, ahead of No. 5 Wisconsin (70 points). They were followed by No. 25 Michigan (93) in third, No. 17 Notre Dame (95) in fourth and RV Michigan State (127) in fifth. The Boilermaker women were 11th with 350 points, while No. 9 Notre Dame (39) and No. 23 Wisconsin (71) took the top two spots ahead of No. 14 Michigan State (82) and RV Michigan (150) in third and fourth.
At his first career NCAA postseason race, Buckeridge was 19th overall in 30:12.1. It was a tightly contested race at the top throughout the 10,000 meters, and Buckeridge was the first of three finishers within 1.3 seconds of each other. A pair of Boilermakers were close behind, as senior Caleb Williams was 27th in 30:24.4 and junior Nathan Walker was 28th in 30:25.1. Walker just beat out a competitor who was 0.6 seconds behind him.
Junior Jason Polydoris was 46th in 30:48.2 and sophomore Kiefer Bell placed 52nd in 30:59.3. As Bell notched Purdue's fifth and final point-scoring finish, he held off two runners who finished within 0.3 seconds of him and another that was 1.1 seconds behind him. Additionally, junior Brady Yoder was 60th (31:06.2) and graduate student Nathaniel Getachew was 117th (31:58.1).
Squires and senior Payne Turney were 49th and 50th, respectively, with times of 21:27.5 and 21:27.7 on the 6k course. The duo held off one runner who was 0.3 seconds behind Turney. Sophomore Christel Elkins was 59th overall thanks to a time of 21:34.9, and freshman Paige Hazelrigg crossed the finish line in 89th place with mark a 22:07.0.
Junior Jaelyn Burgos ran a time of 22:20.6 to place 104th to round out the Boilermakers' scorers. Freshman Ally Wigand was 156th (23:06.8), followed by fellow first-year Elise Peckinpaugh in 173rd (23:23.1).
Polydoris, Squires Walker, Williams and Yoder all notched their best career NCAA Regional finish, while Bell, Burgos, Elkins, Hazelrigg, Peckinpaugh and Wigand joined Buckeridge in racing at their first NCAA postseason meet. Getachew made his Great Lakes debut after having raced at three NCAA DIII Championships in cross country and track & field prior to his arrival at Purdue this year.
Wisconsin, which also hosted the Big Ten Championships two weeks ago, hosted the Great Lakes Regional for the first time since 2019 and for the seventh time since the Zimmer Championship Course opened in 2009.
Friday marked the end of the cross country season for the Boilermakers. The team will now prepare for the indoor track & field season which begins in December.
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com/CrossCountry and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
On a chilly and cloudy late morning and early afternoon, the Boilermaker men were sixth as a team and the women were 11th at Wisconsin's Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course. The men notched their best regional finish since they won it in 2019.
Sophomore Douglas Buckeridge earned Great Lakes All-Region Team accolades as he posted a 19th-place finish in the 10k event. With his top-25 finish, Buckeridge is the first Boilermaker to be recognized on the All-Region squad since 2021. Junior Emma Squires paced the women and was 49th in the 6k race.
Five Boilermakers earned their best career NCAA Great Lakes finish and eight were racing at their first NCAA postseason meet.
"With the addition of cross country powerhouses Butler and Notre Dame, our men once again were strong," Purdue head coach Norbert Elliott said. "We have ran well all season. We had strong performances from our top five, with Doug Buckeridge leading the way. Caleb Williams had a very good race today as well.
"I am very proud of our women's performance today. From the gun they positioned themselves in a very competitive spot. This was by far their best race of the season and good rebound from the Big Ten Championships two weeks ago. The performances today were a great way to end the cross country season. It gives our distance crew momentum going into the indoor season."
The Great Lakes Regional featured 34 women's programs and 31 men's teams, with the top two teams earning an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships next weekend. The Purdue men finished with 172 points, just behind four nationally-ranked squads and one that was receiving votes. No. 12 Butler won with 43 points, ahead of No. 5 Wisconsin (70 points). They were followed by No. 25 Michigan (93) in third, No. 17 Notre Dame (95) in fourth and RV Michigan State (127) in fifth. The Boilermaker women were 11th with 350 points, while No. 9 Notre Dame (39) and No. 23 Wisconsin (71) took the top two spots ahead of No. 14 Michigan State (82) and RV Michigan (150) in third and fourth.
At his first career NCAA postseason race, Buckeridge was 19th overall in 30:12.1. It was a tightly contested race at the top throughout the 10,000 meters, and Buckeridge was the first of three finishers within 1.3 seconds of each other. A pair of Boilermakers were close behind, as senior Caleb Williams was 27th in 30:24.4 and junior Nathan Walker was 28th in 30:25.1. Walker just beat out a competitor who was 0.6 seconds behind him.
Junior Jason Polydoris was 46th in 30:48.2 and sophomore Kiefer Bell placed 52nd in 30:59.3. As Bell notched Purdue's fifth and final point-scoring finish, he held off two runners who finished within 0.3 seconds of him and another that was 1.1 seconds behind him. Additionally, junior Brady Yoder was 60th (31:06.2) and graduate student Nathaniel Getachew was 117th (31:58.1).
Squires and senior Payne Turney were 49th and 50th, respectively, with times of 21:27.5 and 21:27.7 on the 6k course. The duo held off one runner who was 0.3 seconds behind Turney. Sophomore Christel Elkins was 59th overall thanks to a time of 21:34.9, and freshman Paige Hazelrigg crossed the finish line in 89th place with mark a 22:07.0.
Junior Jaelyn Burgos ran a time of 22:20.6 to place 104th to round out the Boilermakers' scorers. Freshman Ally Wigand was 156th (23:06.8), followed by fellow first-year Elise Peckinpaugh in 173rd (23:23.1).
Polydoris, Squires Walker, Williams and Yoder all notched their best career NCAA Regional finish, while Bell, Burgos, Elkins, Hazelrigg, Peckinpaugh and Wigand joined Buckeridge in racing at their first NCAA postseason meet. Getachew made his Great Lakes debut after having raced at three NCAA DIII Championships in cross country and track & field prior to his arrival at Purdue this year.
Wisconsin, which also hosted the Big Ten Championships two weeks ago, hosted the Great Lakes Regional for the first time since 2019 and for the seventh time since the Zimmer Championship Course opened in 2009.
Friday marked the end of the cross country season for the Boilermakers. The team will now prepare for the indoor track & field season which begins in December.
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com/CrossCountry and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.