ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Freshman Andreas Hantson was the runner-up in the decathlon as eight members of the Purdue track & field team earned a spot on the podium on the second day of the 2024 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Saturday.
On an overcast, cool day with intermittent rain, Hantson won a silver medal in the decathlon and improved his place in school history in the event with a strong second day of the 10-event competition. Another seven top-eight finishes added to the day for the Boilermakers, and two runners punched their ticket to Sunday's final.
Hantson earned 7,383 points in the decathlon to place second. Along with a collegiate-best point total to improve his spot at No. 4 in school history, Hantson had PRs in six of the 10 individual events. He reached the podium at the Big Ten Championships for the first time and finished more than 260 points ahead of the third-place finisher. Hantson's day began with a PR of 16.05 in the 110-meter hurdles, and he added a best of 4.50 meters in the pole vault and a 50.75m in the javelin, and he was second in both the pole vault and javelin.
Meanwhile, sophomore Bryanna Craig finished fourth in the heptathlon with 5,310 points. A season-best mark, Craig collected her fourth spot on the Big Ten podium in four career events, as she has placed in the top four in the heptathlon and indoor pentathlon each of her first two collegiate seasons. Craig's second day was highlighted by a season-best time of 2:17.62 in the 800m to finish third.
A strong day for Purdue's combined event athletes didn't end there. Junior Jalen Elrod was fifth in the heptathlon and senior Logan Sandlin was eighth in the decathlon. Elrod earned 5,098 points for her second spot on a Big Ten podium this season and her ninth career individual conference top-eight finish and fifth in a combined event. Sandlin picked up 6,854 points to place eighth, his best Big Ten finish, and his day was capped by a PR of 4:32.41 in the 1,500m to place second after he was first in the pole vault with a 4.60m clearance. Sandlin's personal-best point total improved his place at No. 6 in school history.
The Boilermakers also had a strong presence on the podium in the steeplechase. Junior Emma Squires led the way, as she was fourth to record the team's first top-eight finish in a women's distance event at a Big Ten championships since 2018. She crossed the line in 10:27.94 and was fourth by less than half a second in a tightly-contested finish with the fifth-place runner.
Shortly afterwards, senior Caleb Williams and sophomore Kiefer Bell were fifth and eighth, respectively. Williams earned his first individual Big Ten podium finish with a time of 8:55.65 and Bell was in the top eight for the second time in his career individually and the first time outdoors. He posted a mark of 9:00.88 that is a PR by almost five seconds and just shy of a spot on Purdue's top-10 list in the steeplechase.
While the steeplechase was being contested, graduate student Safin Wills used a big third jump to place fifth in the long jump. A mark of 7.65m earned Wills his fifth Big Ten podium finish, indoors and outdoors, and the ninth top-eight finish of his collegiate career. In the second flight, Wills was in ninth place after two jumps, and was 12th just before his third attempt. That's when he recorded his mark of 7.65m to ensure his spot in the final and in the top five.
On the track, two Boilermakers punched their ticket to Sunday's final. The first was freshman Alexia Smith, who ran the 400m in 54.24. It was the second-fastest time in her heat and fifth overall, and she earned one of nine spots in the final tomorrow.
Junior Zoe Sullivan not only advanced to the final in the 100m hurdles, but she did it with one of the fastest times in school history. She was fifth in the prelims in 13.38 and moved up one spot to No. 5 all-time. It's the fastest mark by a Boilermaker since 2018, when the top two times in program history were set, including the No. 1 mark by now-world-record-holder Devynne Charlton.
On Friday to begin the three-meet championships, junior Cale Ayers was seventh in the hammer throw as graduate student Cameron Miller qualified for the final in the 200m. Purdue's combined event athletes also got off to a strong start.
The meet wraps up on Sunday, May 12, with field events at 11 a.m. ET and running events at 12:45 p.m. The championships will finish at approximately 4 p.m.
Fans unable to cheer on the Boilermakers in person can follow along with live results, and watch all of the action live on B1G+ (Sunday Track | Sunday Field), with a B1G+ subscription required. Additional championships information, including tickets and the complete schedule, is available at BigTen.org and MGoBlue.com. Updates from Ann Arbor can be found by following and connecting with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Direct links to follow along also are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
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.
On an overcast, cool day with intermittent rain, Hantson won a silver medal in the decathlon and improved his place in school history in the event with a strong second day of the 10-event competition. Another seven top-eight finishes added to the day for the Boilermakers, and two runners punched their ticket to Sunday's final.
Hantson earned 7,383 points in the decathlon to place second. Along with a collegiate-best point total to improve his spot at No. 4 in school history, Hantson had PRs in six of the 10 individual events. He reached the podium at the Big Ten Championships for the first time and finished more than 260 points ahead of the third-place finisher. Hantson's day began with a PR of 16.05 in the 110-meter hurdles, and he added a best of 4.50 meters in the pole vault and a 50.75m in the javelin, and he was second in both the pole vault and javelin.
Meanwhile, sophomore Bryanna Craig finished fourth in the heptathlon with 5,310 points. A season-best mark, Craig collected her fourth spot on the Big Ten podium in four career events, as she has placed in the top four in the heptathlon and indoor pentathlon each of her first two collegiate seasons. Craig's second day was highlighted by a season-best time of 2:17.62 in the 800m to finish third.
A strong day for Purdue's combined event athletes didn't end there. Junior Jalen Elrod was fifth in the heptathlon and senior Logan Sandlin was eighth in the decathlon. Elrod earned 5,098 points for her second spot on a Big Ten podium this season and her ninth career individual conference top-eight finish and fifth in a combined event. Sandlin picked up 6,854 points to place eighth, his best Big Ten finish, and his day was capped by a PR of 4:32.41 in the 1,500m to place second after he was first in the pole vault with a 4.60m clearance. Sandlin's personal-best point total improved his place at No. 6 in school history.
The Boilermakers also had a strong presence on the podium in the steeplechase. Junior Emma Squires led the way, as she was fourth to record the team's first top-eight finish in a women's distance event at a Big Ten championships since 2018. She crossed the line in 10:27.94 and was fourth by less than half a second in a tightly-contested finish with the fifth-place runner.
Shortly afterwards, senior Caleb Williams and sophomore Kiefer Bell were fifth and eighth, respectively. Williams earned his first individual Big Ten podium finish with a time of 8:55.65 and Bell was in the top eight for the second time in his career individually and the first time outdoors. He posted a mark of 9:00.88 that is a PR by almost five seconds and just shy of a spot on Purdue's top-10 list in the steeplechase.
While the steeplechase was being contested, graduate student Safin Wills used a big third jump to place fifth in the long jump. A mark of 7.65m earned Wills his fifth Big Ten podium finish, indoors and outdoors, and the ninth top-eight finish of his collegiate career. In the second flight, Wills was in ninth place after two jumps, and was 12th just before his third attempt. That's when he recorded his mark of 7.65m to ensure his spot in the final and in the top five.
On the track, two Boilermakers punched their ticket to Sunday's final. The first was freshman Alexia Smith, who ran the 400m in 54.24. It was the second-fastest time in her heat and fifth overall, and she earned one of nine spots in the final tomorrow.
Junior Zoe Sullivan not only advanced to the final in the 100m hurdles, but she did it with one of the fastest times in school history. She was fifth in the prelims in 13.38 and moved up one spot to No. 5 all-time. It's the fastest mark by a Boilermaker since 2018, when the top two times in program history were set, including the No. 1 mark by now-world-record-holder Devynne Charlton.
On Friday to begin the three-meet championships, junior Cale Ayers was seventh in the hammer throw as graduate student Cameron Miller qualified for the final in the 200m. Purdue's combined event athletes also got off to a strong start.
The meet wraps up on Sunday, May 12, with field events at 11 a.m. ET and running events at 12:45 p.m. The championships will finish at approximately 4 p.m.
Fans unable to cheer on the Boilermakers in person can follow along with live results, and watch all of the action live on B1G+ (Sunday Track | Sunday Field), with a B1G+ subscription required. Additional championships information, including tickets and the complete schedule, is available at BigTen.org and MGoBlue.com. Updates from Ann Arbor can be found by following and connecting with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Direct links to follow along also are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
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.