CHICAGO – Eight individual wins and five top-10 times in school history opened the new year for the Purdue track & field team at the Badgers Midwest Invitational on Saturday in Chicago.
The Boilermakers totaled 21 top-three finishes at their second meet of the 2023-24 indoor season. Purdue was one of six teams to compete at the third-annual event at the Dr. Conrad Worrill Track & Field Center at Gately Park.
Freshmen Jasiah Rogers and Nia Wilson continued their strong starts to their careers with victories in the 60-meter final as they also moved up in the record books. Junior Zoe Sullivan and sophomore Taylor Herbert, making her Boilermaker debut, also ran top-10 times in the 60m hurdles and 60m, respectively. Juniors Praise Aniamaka and Brett Otterbacher added wins with marks that are among the best in the country this season.
One meet after she made her collegiate debut and ran the seventh-fastest time in program history, Wilson bested it with a mark of 7.40 to win the 60m on Saturday in Chicago. That moved her up to No. 4 in the record books with the fastest time by a Boilermaker since 2017. Meanwhile, Herbert began her Purdue career with a 7.47 in the prelims, tied for No. 10 in school history, and bested it with a 7.46 to take sole possession of 10th on the school's all-time list.
Like Wilson, Rogers opened his career with a top-10 time in the 60m at December's season-opener, only to top it on Saturday. He entered the day tied for No. 8 and improved his mark by 0.01 seconds with a finish of 6.69 in the final. After a 6.71 in the prelims, Rogers' winning time in the final moved him up into a tie for No. 6 in the record book.
Just before the 60m finals was the 600m, where Otterbacher won with a time of 1:17.77. The fifth-fastest mark in the event in the country this season, it was just 0.25 seconds shy of the time Otterbacher ran one year ago at this meet that is No. 2 in school history.
Aniamaka, fresh off an All-America season last spring, won the triple jump with a mark of 15.86m. It came on his fourth attempt and is the fifth-best jump in the NCAA in 2023-24.
Action on the track began with the 60m hurdles, where Sullivan moved up in the record books in her second meet as a Boilermaker. She came into the day at No. 10 and quickly rose to No. 7 with a personal-best time of 8.39 in the prelims. Sullivan followed it up with a runner-up finish in the finals thanks to a time of 8.51.
Sophomore Collin Kao had an impressive win in the pole vault, as he cleared 5.07 meters. The personal-best mark is the best by a Boilermaker, indoors or outdoors, since 2015. Kao was one of two competitors to clear 5.07m but took the win on misses.
One of the first events of the meet was the long jump, where Purdue earned a pair of wins. Junior Damazvia Dames claimed the women's title with a jump of 5.61m and freshman Ryan Shackelford was the men's champion with a mark of 6.96m. Dames was making her Boilermaker debut while Shackelford competed in his first collegiate track & field meet.
Junior Jahn Riley notched a personal-best time to win the 300m. His time of 33.66 from the opening heat stood as the fastest mark overall after the six-heat competition concluded.
Along with Sullivan, runner-up finishes were achieved by juniors Gabriele Green (600m, 1:46.60) and Emma Squires (3,000m, 9:40.01), sophomore Kylie Stauder (pole vault, 3.62m) and freshmen Lee Martin (high jump, 2.06m) and Melissa Riegle (pole vault, 3.62m). Martin and Squires' second-place showings came with personal-record marks.
Seven Boilermakers posted third-place finishes, including Herbert in the 60m.
Additional collegiate-bests were registered by grad student Meredith Bloss (3,000m, 10:22.05), fifth-year Ian Hunter (mile, 4:12.38), junior Cale Ayers (weight throw, 19.39m), sophomores Kiefer Bell (3,000m, 8:22.45), Jaelyn Burgos (mile, 5:05.89), Leo Maxwell (weight throw, 17.48m), Mary Sowinski (300m, 43.25), Karlie Stauder (pole vault, 3.47m) and Eric Young II (300m, 34.63) and freshmen Jada Lee (60m, 7.69 and 7.68) and Lainey Mack (pole vault, 3.47m).
Freshmen Mirai Bernard (300m, 40.83), Julie Klaus (mile, 5:15.75), Brandon Moss (60m, 7.09) and Kaden Stewart (high jump, 1.91m) also made their collegiate debuts on Saturday in Chicago.
Purdue squared off against host-Wisconsin, Chicago State, DePaul, Southern Illinois and UW-Milwaukee on Saturday at Chicago's three-year-old track.
Up next, the season continues with a trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the Simmons-Harvey Invitational on January 20. Purdue also will return to Chicago in just under one month for the Windy City Invitational from February 9-10.
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com/TrackField and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook.
The Boilermakers totaled 21 top-three finishes at their second meet of the 2023-24 indoor season. Purdue was one of six teams to compete at the third-annual event at the Dr. Conrad Worrill Track & Field Center at Gately Park.
Freshmen Jasiah Rogers and Nia Wilson continued their strong starts to their careers with victories in the 60-meter final as they also moved up in the record books. Junior Zoe Sullivan and sophomore Taylor Herbert, making her Boilermaker debut, also ran top-10 times in the 60m hurdles and 60m, respectively. Juniors Praise Aniamaka and Brett Otterbacher added wins with marks that are among the best in the country this season.
One meet after she made her collegiate debut and ran the seventh-fastest time in program history, Wilson bested it with a mark of 7.40 to win the 60m on Saturday in Chicago. That moved her up to No. 4 in the record books with the fastest time by a Boilermaker since 2017. Meanwhile, Herbert began her Purdue career with a 7.47 in the prelims, tied for No. 10 in school history, and bested it with a 7.46 to take sole possession of 10th on the school's all-time list.
Like Wilson, Rogers opened his career with a top-10 time in the 60m at December's season-opener, only to top it on Saturday. He entered the day tied for No. 8 and improved his mark by 0.01 seconds with a finish of 6.69 in the final. After a 6.71 in the prelims, Rogers' winning time in the final moved him up into a tie for No. 6 in the record book.
Just before the 60m finals was the 600m, where Otterbacher won with a time of 1:17.77. The fifth-fastest mark in the event in the country this season, it was just 0.25 seconds shy of the time Otterbacher ran one year ago at this meet that is No. 2 in school history.
Aniamaka, fresh off an All-America season last spring, won the triple jump with a mark of 15.86m. It came on his fourth attempt and is the fifth-best jump in the NCAA in 2023-24.
Action on the track began with the 60m hurdles, where Sullivan moved up in the record books in her second meet as a Boilermaker. She came into the day at No. 10 and quickly rose to No. 7 with a personal-best time of 8.39 in the prelims. Sullivan followed it up with a runner-up finish in the finals thanks to a time of 8.51.
Sophomore Collin Kao had an impressive win in the pole vault, as he cleared 5.07 meters. The personal-best mark is the best by a Boilermaker, indoors or outdoors, since 2015. Kao was one of two competitors to clear 5.07m but took the win on misses.
One of the first events of the meet was the long jump, where Purdue earned a pair of wins. Junior Damazvia Dames claimed the women's title with a jump of 5.61m and freshman Ryan Shackelford was the men's champion with a mark of 6.96m. Dames was making her Boilermaker debut while Shackelford competed in his first collegiate track & field meet.
Junior Jahn Riley notched a personal-best time to win the 300m. His time of 33.66 from the opening heat stood as the fastest mark overall after the six-heat competition concluded.
Along with Sullivan, runner-up finishes were achieved by juniors Gabriele Green (600m, 1:46.60) and Emma Squires (3,000m, 9:40.01), sophomore Kylie Stauder (pole vault, 3.62m) and freshmen Lee Martin (high jump, 2.06m) and Melissa Riegle (pole vault, 3.62m). Martin and Squires' second-place showings came with personal-record marks.
Seven Boilermakers posted third-place finishes, including Herbert in the 60m.
Additional collegiate-bests were registered by grad student Meredith Bloss (3,000m, 10:22.05), fifth-year Ian Hunter (mile, 4:12.38), junior Cale Ayers (weight throw, 19.39m), sophomores Kiefer Bell (3,000m, 8:22.45), Jaelyn Burgos (mile, 5:05.89), Leo Maxwell (weight throw, 17.48m), Mary Sowinski (300m, 43.25), Karlie Stauder (pole vault, 3.47m) and Eric Young II (300m, 34.63) and freshmen Jada Lee (60m, 7.69 and 7.68) and Lainey Mack (pole vault, 3.47m).
Freshmen Mirai Bernard (300m, 40.83), Julie Klaus (mile, 5:15.75), Brandon Moss (60m, 7.09) and Kaden Stewart (high jump, 1.91m) also made their collegiate debuts on Saturday in Chicago.
Purdue squared off against host-Wisconsin, Chicago State, DePaul, Southern Illinois and UW-Milwaukee on Saturday at Chicago's three-year-old track.
Up next, the season continues with a trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the Simmons-Harvey Invitational on January 20. Purdue also will return to Chicago in just under one month for the Windy City Invitational from February 9-10.
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com/TrackField and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook.