TAMPA, Fla. – The Purdue track & field team wrapped up the opening weekend of the outdoor season with another top-10 mark in school history by a thrower and two victories at the USF Alumni Invitational in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday.
Sophomore Seth Allen recorded the best throw in the discus by a Boilermaker since 2018 to win the event on a mostly sunny and slightly muggy day at the USF Track & Field Stadium. Junior Rieko Wilford also picked up a win, as she and Allen posted two of seven top-five marks on the day. Allen had one of the six personal-best marks achieved on the second day of the two-day meet.
The USF Alumni Invite marked the end of a week-long spring break training trip in Tampa for Purdue. The Boilermakers totaled two wins, 13 top-five finishes and 15 personal-best marks over the two days.
Allen won the discus with a throw of 58.60 meters. That mark came on his sixth and final attempt, as he also notched PRs on all four of his legal throws. He opened the meet with a mark of 55.18m which eclipsed his freshman-season best by more than one meter and would be No. 9 in the Purdue record book. After a second-attempt foul, Allen earned another PR with a distance of 55.24m on his third throw. Then it was a 56.41m, which would have moved Allen up to seventh on the top-10 list.
The sixth and final throw of 58.60m proved to be Allen's best. Along with giving him the victory, moving him up from second, it secured his spot at No. 3 in school history. On the day, Allen posted the first top-10 throws in school history since 2018, when Ashmon Lucas set the record of 62.91m.
Allen was the only thrower in the competition to have more than two throws of at least 55.00m, which he did four times, and only one other thrower had four marks of 50.00m or better.
Wilford joined Allen with a victory on Saturday. Hers came in the triple jump, as she earned her fourth career win, indoors or outdoors.
Several Boilermakers ran the steeplechase for the first time collegiately. Today's race was 2,000m, and junior Emma Squires posted a runner-up finish in 6:48.50 in her steeplechase debut. Junior Jaelyn Burgos, racing in her first steeplechase, and sophomore Douglas Buckeridge, at his first outdoor collegiate meet, also were fourth in their events. Burgos was just behind Squires in 6:57.11 and Buckeridge earned himself a time of 5:52.35.
The men's 4x100 relay was fourth, in 40.04, and the women's 4x400 relay was fifth, in 3:41.11, to round out Purdue's top-five finishers.
In addition to Allen, personal-bests were achieved by seniors Logan Sandlin (discus, 35.85m) and Caleb Williams (1,500m, 3:51.66), junior Zoe Sullivan (100m hurdles, 13.46w, PR in all conditions) and sophomores Jalen Elrod (100m hurdles, 14.68) and Nolan Macklin (100m, 10.37, wind-legal PR).
To open the meet, and the outdoor season, on Friday, sophomore Leo Maxwell entered the record books in the hammer throw at No. 8. He was one of the six Boilermakers to place in the top five and his PR was one of nine for the Boilermakers.
Along with Purdue and host-USF, this weekend's field included Big Ten opponents Iowa, Michigan and Ohio State. Fifty-one Boilermakers made the trip to Florida's Gulf Coast.
From the Sunshine State to the Lone Star State, Purdue is back in action in two weeks at the Texas Relays and Bobcat Invitational from March 28-30 in Austin and San Marcos, Texas.
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 Seth Allen recorded the best throw in the discus by a Boilermaker since 2018 to win the event on a mostly sunny and slightly muggy day at the USF Track & Field Stadium. Junior Rieko Wilford also picked up a win, as she and Allen posted two of seven top-five marks on the day. Allen had one of the six personal-best marks achieved on the second day of the two-day meet.
The USF Alumni Invite marked the end of a week-long spring break training trip in Tampa for Purdue. The Boilermakers totaled two wins, 13 top-five finishes and 15 personal-best marks over the two days.
Allen won the discus with a throw of 58.60 meters. That mark came on his sixth and final attempt, as he also notched PRs on all four of his legal throws. He opened the meet with a mark of 55.18m which eclipsed his freshman-season best by more than one meter and would be No. 9 in the Purdue record book. After a second-attempt foul, Allen earned another PR with a distance of 55.24m on his third throw. Then it was a 56.41m, which would have moved Allen up to seventh on the top-10 list.
The sixth and final throw of 58.60m proved to be Allen's best. Along with giving him the victory, moving him up from second, it secured his spot at No. 3 in school history. On the day, Allen posted the first top-10 throws in school history since 2018, when Ashmon Lucas set the record of 62.91m.
Allen was the only thrower in the competition to have more than two throws of at least 55.00m, which he did four times, and only one other thrower had four marks of 50.00m or better.
Wilford joined Allen with a victory on Saturday. Hers came in the triple jump, as she earned her fourth career win, indoors or outdoors.
Several Boilermakers ran the steeplechase for the first time collegiately. Today's race was 2,000m, and junior Emma Squires posted a runner-up finish in 6:48.50 in her steeplechase debut. Junior Jaelyn Burgos, racing in her first steeplechase, and sophomore Douglas Buckeridge, at his first outdoor collegiate meet, also were fourth in their events. Burgos was just behind Squires in 6:57.11 and Buckeridge earned himself a time of 5:52.35.
The men's 4x100 relay was fourth, in 40.04, and the women's 4x400 relay was fifth, in 3:41.11, to round out Purdue's top-five finishers.
In addition to Allen, personal-bests were achieved by seniors Logan Sandlin (discus, 35.85m) and Caleb Williams (1,500m, 3:51.66), junior Zoe Sullivan (100m hurdles, 13.46w, PR in all conditions) and sophomores Jalen Elrod (100m hurdles, 14.68) and Nolan Macklin (100m, 10.37, wind-legal PR).
To open the meet, and the outdoor season, on Friday, sophomore Leo Maxwell entered the record books in the hammer throw at No. 8. He was one of the six Boilermakers to place in the top five and his PR was one of nine for the Boilermakers.
Along with Purdue and host-USF, this weekend's field included Big Ten opponents Iowa, Michigan and Ohio State. Fifty-one Boilermakers made the trip to Florida's Gulf Coast.
From the Sunshine State to the Lone Star State, Purdue is back in action in two weeks at the Texas Relays and Bobcat Invitational from March 28-30 in Austin and San Marcos, Texas.
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.