AUSTIN, Texas and SAN MARCOS, Texas. – Two relay events advanced to the finals on Friday as the Purdue track & field team continued their three-day weekend in Texas at the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, and the Bobcat Invitational in San Marcos, Texas.
At the highly competitive Texas Relays that features numerous nationally-ranked programs, the Boilermaker men's 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams qualified for Saturday's finals on a windy morning and early afternoon at Texas' Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium.
On the second day of the three-day meets, Purdue athletes earned five personal-best marks, two at the Texas Relays in Austin and three at the Bobcat Invite at the Texas State Track & Field Complex in San Marcos.
With the early-morning clouds still low over UT's track, Purdue's 4x100 relay team finished seventh overall in the prelims to claim the first of three non-automatic-qualifying spots to Saturday's nine-team final. Sophomore Nolan Macklin, graduate student Cameron Miller, sophomore Connor Czajkowski and freshman Jasiah Rogers finished in 40.05 seconds. They earned the top-nine finish by 0.10 seconds and were second in the third heat.
Later in the day, the 4x400 punched their ticket to tomorrow's final with the third-fastest prelim time. Senior Jahn Riley, Czajkowski, freshman Nickens Lemba and junior Brett Otterbacher won the first heat to earn the automatic berth by 0.50 seconds. As the Boilermaker foursome watched the next four heats with their final spot secured, their time proved to be No. 3 overall.
In between the two finals, Rogers and freshman Jada Lee both ran personal-best times in all conditions in the 100-meter. Lee's time came first, as she crossed the finish line in 12.00w. Several minutes later it was Rogers, who posted a mark of 10.35w for his own PR.
Down the road in San Marcos, a trio of Boilermakers earned personal-record marks of their own. Sophomore Jalen Elrod's PR came with a fifth-place finish in the long jump A section. She jumped 6.07 meters (w) on her third attempt for a best in all conditions.
Freshman Kaden Stewart's PR of 2.01m came in the high jump. To end the day, Riley ran the 200m in 21.34 seconds for a collegiate best, several hours after he helped the Boilermakers to the final in the 4x400 at the Texas Relays.
On Thursday to begin Purdue's weekend in the Lone Star State, senior Caroline Jordan won the Texas Relays 10,000-meter, while fellow senior Caleb Williams was the runner-up in the 3,000m steeplechase as he entered the school top-10 list in the event. Jordan and Williams had two of Purdue's eight top-five finishes at the Texas Relays or the Bobcat Invitational on Thursday.
The Texas Relays and Bobcat Invitational conclude on Saturday, March 30. Fans unable to cheer the Boilermakers on in person can follow along with live results (Texas | Bobcat) and the meet schedules (Texas | Bobcat). The Texas Relays will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network and ESPN+. Additional updates from the Lone Star State can be found by following and connecting with the Boilermakers on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
The Texas Relays wraps up on Saturday, with the squad's first field event and finals on the track at 2:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. CT and the last final finishing at approximately 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT.
Meanwhile at the Bobcat Invitational, Saturday's finale begins with field events at 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT and running events at 2:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. CT. The weekend will finish at about 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT.
Purdue's travel roster to the Lone Star State features 43 athletes. 27 men and 16 women. The Boilermakers have 31 entries at the Texas Relays and 23 at the Bobcat Invite.
The 96th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, one of the most prestigious national meets, is hosted by the University of Texas at Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium. Texas State University's Bobcat Invite is at the Texas State Track & Field Complex, 31 miles south southwest of UT's track.
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.
At the highly competitive Texas Relays that features numerous nationally-ranked programs, the Boilermaker men's 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams qualified for Saturday's finals on a windy morning and early afternoon at Texas' Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium.
On the second day of the three-day meets, Purdue athletes earned five personal-best marks, two at the Texas Relays in Austin and three at the Bobcat Invite at the Texas State Track & Field Complex in San Marcos.
With the early-morning clouds still low over UT's track, Purdue's 4x100 relay team finished seventh overall in the prelims to claim the first of three non-automatic-qualifying spots to Saturday's nine-team final. Sophomore Nolan Macklin, graduate student Cameron Miller, sophomore Connor Czajkowski and freshman Jasiah Rogers finished in 40.05 seconds. They earned the top-nine finish by 0.10 seconds and were second in the third heat.
Later in the day, the 4x400 punched their ticket to tomorrow's final with the third-fastest prelim time. Senior Jahn Riley, Czajkowski, freshman Nickens Lemba and junior Brett Otterbacher won the first heat to earn the automatic berth by 0.50 seconds. As the Boilermaker foursome watched the next four heats with their final spot secured, their time proved to be No. 3 overall.
In between the two finals, Rogers and freshman Jada Lee both ran personal-best times in all conditions in the 100-meter. Lee's time came first, as she crossed the finish line in 12.00w. Several minutes later it was Rogers, who posted a mark of 10.35w for his own PR.
Down the road in San Marcos, a trio of Boilermakers earned personal-record marks of their own. Sophomore Jalen Elrod's PR came with a fifth-place finish in the long jump A section. She jumped 6.07 meters (w) on her third attempt for a best in all conditions.
Freshman Kaden Stewart's PR of 2.01m came in the high jump. To end the day, Riley ran the 200m in 21.34 seconds for a collegiate best, several hours after he helped the Boilermakers to the final in the 4x400 at the Texas Relays.
On Thursday to begin Purdue's weekend in the Lone Star State, senior Caroline Jordan won the Texas Relays 10,000-meter, while fellow senior Caleb Williams was the runner-up in the 3,000m steeplechase as he entered the school top-10 list in the event. Jordan and Williams had two of Purdue's eight top-five finishes at the Texas Relays or the Bobcat Invitational on Thursday.
The Texas Relays and Bobcat Invitational conclude on Saturday, March 30. Fans unable to cheer the Boilermakers on in person can follow along with live results (Texas | Bobcat) and the meet schedules (Texas | Bobcat). The Texas Relays will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network and ESPN+. Additional updates from the Lone Star State can be found by following and connecting with the Boilermakers on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
The Texas Relays wraps up on Saturday, with the squad's first field event and finals on the track at 2:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. CT and the last final finishing at approximately 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT.
Meanwhile at the Bobcat Invitational, Saturday's finale begins with field events at 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT and running events at 2:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. CT. The weekend will finish at about 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT.
Purdue's travel roster to the Lone Star State features 43 athletes. 27 men and 16 women. The Boilermakers have 31 entries at the Texas Relays and 23 at the Bobcat Invite.
The 96th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, one of the most prestigious national meets, is hosted by the University of Texas at Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium. Texas State University's Bobcat Invite is at the Texas State Track & Field Complex, 31 miles south southwest of UT's track.
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.