SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Purdue track & field team earned a pair of top-10 times in school history to wrap up the two-day Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Indiana, on Saturday.
Sophomore Kiefer Bell moved up in the record book in the mile, while senior K'Ja Talley entered the top-10 list in the 400-meter. Junior Brett Otterbacher added a win in the 400m as he and Bell earned two of five top-three finishes for the Boilermakers on Saturday.
In total at the two-day meet, Purdue registered three times that are in the top 10 in program history. The Boilermakers earned nine top-three finishes and had 12 personal-records and five season-bests.
"We are still putting the pieces together as the season goes on," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "Every week, it's someone else who shows improvement. I was pleased with the races Nolan Macklin, Brett Otterbacher, Kiefer Bell and K'Ja Talley ran today. The distances runners are starting to show form, and Sarah Maggio, Sofia Munoz, Jaelyn Burgos and Julia Economou all had good runs today."
Bell entered the day at No. 5 in school history in the mile but moved up one spot to No. 4 with a time of 4:03.99. In a tightly-contested race, he was second by 0.28 seconds, as Bell and the winner were nearly four seconds faster than the third-place finisher in the open event. Bell's 4:03.99 is the fastest by a Boilermaker in more than four years, when the top two times in team history were run in 2020.
Talley, who has her name etched in the record book in numerous events both indoors and outdoors, entered the list in the indoor 400m for the first time. She finished in 54.62, which ranks No. 10 all-time. As she was fourth overall in the championship race, Talley posted the seventh-fastest time in the Big Ten this season.
Otterbacher picked up his fifth win of the year and now owns a victory in every meet this season. Saturday's triumph came in the open 400m in 47.20. The season-best time is No. 5 in the Big Ten during the campaign.
A day after he entered the top-10 list in the 200m at No. 10, sophomore Nolan Macklin posted a runner-up finish in the 60m. He ran the final in 6.82 seconds, the same mark he achieved in the semifinal earlier in the day and in the prelims on Friday evening.
To close out the day, the men's 4x400 relay finished second in 3:10.40.
Additional personal-records were achieved by juniors Jaelyn Burgos (5:01.86, mile) and Brady Yoder (8:12.97, 3,000m), sophomore Sarah Maggio (9:53.44, 3,000m) and freshmen Livia Binder (3.15m, pole vault), Julia Economou (2:13.94, 800m), Jalen Elrod (1.58m, high jump) and Sofia Munoz (5:01.48, mile).
On Friday, Macklin ran the 10th-fastest time in school history in the 200m and earned one of two victories for the Boilermakers to open the two-day meet. Purdue was joined on the track this weekend by a field that includes host-Notre Dame and fellow Big Ten foes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Ohio State.
Up next, the Boilermakers are off to a pair of competitions from February 9-10. Part of the team will make the short trip to Chicago for the Windy City Invitational, while the rest of the squad travels to the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson, South Carolina. One week later, on February 17, the regular season will wrap up at ND's Alex Wilson Invitational.
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.
Sophomore Kiefer Bell moved up in the record book in the mile, while senior K'Ja Talley entered the top-10 list in the 400-meter. Junior Brett Otterbacher added a win in the 400m as he and Bell earned two of five top-three finishes for the Boilermakers on Saturday.
In total at the two-day meet, Purdue registered three times that are in the top 10 in program history. The Boilermakers earned nine top-three finishes and had 12 personal-records and five season-bests.
"We are still putting the pieces together as the season goes on," Purdue coach Norbert Elliott said. "Every week, it's someone else who shows improvement. I was pleased with the races Nolan Macklin, Brett Otterbacher, Kiefer Bell and K'Ja Talley ran today. The distances runners are starting to show form, and Sarah Maggio, Sofia Munoz, Jaelyn Burgos and Julia Economou all had good runs today."
Bell entered the day at No. 5 in school history in the mile but moved up one spot to No. 4 with a time of 4:03.99. In a tightly-contested race, he was second by 0.28 seconds, as Bell and the winner were nearly four seconds faster than the third-place finisher in the open event. Bell's 4:03.99 is the fastest by a Boilermaker in more than four years, when the top two times in team history were run in 2020.
Talley, who has her name etched in the record book in numerous events both indoors and outdoors, entered the list in the indoor 400m for the first time. She finished in 54.62, which ranks No. 10 all-time. As she was fourth overall in the championship race, Talley posted the seventh-fastest time in the Big Ten this season.
Otterbacher picked up his fifth win of the year and now owns a victory in every meet this season. Saturday's triumph came in the open 400m in 47.20. The season-best time is No. 5 in the Big Ten during the campaign.
A day after he entered the top-10 list in the 200m at No. 10, sophomore Nolan Macklin posted a runner-up finish in the 60m. He ran the final in 6.82 seconds, the same mark he achieved in the semifinal earlier in the day and in the prelims on Friday evening.
To close out the day, the men's 4x400 relay finished second in 3:10.40.
Additional personal-records were achieved by juniors Jaelyn Burgos (5:01.86, mile) and Brady Yoder (8:12.97, 3,000m), sophomore Sarah Maggio (9:53.44, 3,000m) and freshmen Livia Binder (3.15m, pole vault), Julia Economou (2:13.94, 800m), Jalen Elrod (1.58m, high jump) and Sofia Munoz (5:01.48, mile).
On Friday, Macklin ran the 10th-fastest time in school history in the 200m and earned one of two victories for the Boilermakers to open the two-day meet. Purdue was joined on the track this weekend by a field that includes host-Notre Dame and fellow Big Ten foes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Ohio State.
Up next, the Boilermakers are off to a pair of competitions from February 9-10. Part of the team will make the short trip to Chicago for the Windy City Invitational, while the rest of the squad travels to the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson, South Carolina. One week later, on February 17, the regular season will wrap up at ND's Alex Wilson Invitational.
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.