LEXINGTON, Ky. – A school-record time headlined five entries that advanced to the NCAA Championships for the Purdue track & field team on the third day of the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships East First Round in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday.
The men's 4x400 relay, graduate students Cameron Miller (200-meter) and Safin Wills (triple jump), junior Praise Aniamaka (triple jump) and sophomore Seth Allen (discus) all punched their tickets to the national championships with top-12 finishes in their respective events on a warm and sun-soaked afternoon and evening at Kentucky's Outdoor Track & Field Complex.
The advancing Boilermakers entered the meet as part of 48-athlete fields in each event, with 24 relay teams. The top 12 finishers move on to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, from June 5-8.
Friday's action ended with a bang, as the 4x400 relay team ran a school-record time to earn its nationals bid. Junior Brett Otterbacher, Miller, sophomore Connor Czajkowski and freshman Nickens Lemba finished in 3:03.72 to top the previous record of 3:04.75, set in 2016. Seeded No. 21 entering the meet, the foursome finished 10th overall to earn the first of three non-automatic qualifying spots to the national meet. The time also topped the Boilermakers' previous best mark from earlier this season by more than three seconds, which had earned the squad a bronze medal at the Big Ten Championships on May 12.
Allen earned Purdue's first NCAA Championships qualification of the day, as he moves on to nationals for the first time in his career. At his second NCAA First Round, Allen was sixth in the discus with a mark of 57.87 meters. It came on his third and final attempt, after a second throw of 57.24m that also would have been good enough to send him to Eugene.
Aniamaka and Wills both qualified in the triple jump. Aniamaka was seventh with a mark of 15.93m, just ahead of Wills, who was eighth with a jump of 15.91m. Aniamaka wasted no time securing his third NCAA Championships berth, as he earned his best mark on his first attempt. The junior was ninth outdoors a season ago and also ninth indoors earlier this year.
Wills' second jump was what sent him to NCAAs for the third time in his career. A graduate student, Wills was 15th in 2022 and 22nd in 2021 nationally in the triple jump.
Moments after Aniamaka and Wills punched their ticket to Oregon, Miller did the same in the 200m. He was ninth overall in 20.25 and third in his heat to earn one of the three automatic-qualifying spots in the first heat. The school record-holder in the 200m both indoors and outdoors, Miller made his fourth national championship meet, as he earned First Team All-America accolades indoors earlier this season after he was eighth outdoors and fourth indoors in 2023. His 200m finish on Friday night came one hour before he helped the 4x400 relay earn its own nationals berth.
Senior Caleb Williams ran at his first NCAA First Round and was 19th in the 3,000m steeplechase. Williams finished with a time of 8:58.43 and finished 10 spots better than his seed of 29th.
The day began with the high jump, where freshman Bode Gilkerson made his NCAA debut. He finished 42nd overall with a clearance of 2.04m.
On Wednesday to begin the weekend, Miller advanced to the quarterfinals in the 200m, and on Thursday, freshman Alexia Smith moved on in the 400m
Smith and the women conclude their competition on Saturday, May 25. Action gets underway for the Old Gold and Black with the steeplechase at 5:40 p.m. and the triple jump at 6 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 ESPN+. Additional NCAA First Round information, including tickets and the complete schedule, is available UKAthletics.com. Updates from Lexington 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.
The Boilermakers have 16 qualifiers this week represented by 18 student-athletes in 14 different events. Purdue has multiple competitors in two events, and one relay also is among the field for the Old Gold and Black.
The NCAA East First Round, along with the West First Round, feature 48 qualifiers in each individual event and 24 teams in each relay. The top 12 finishers in every event from both the east and west will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, from June 5-8.
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 men's 4x400 relay, graduate students Cameron Miller (200-meter) and Safin Wills (triple jump), junior Praise Aniamaka (triple jump) and sophomore Seth Allen (discus) all punched their tickets to the national championships with top-12 finishes in their respective events on a warm and sun-soaked afternoon and evening at Kentucky's Outdoor Track & Field Complex.
The advancing Boilermakers entered the meet as part of 48-athlete fields in each event, with 24 relay teams. The top 12 finishers move on to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, from June 5-8.
Friday's action ended with a bang, as the 4x400 relay team ran a school-record time to earn its nationals bid. Junior Brett Otterbacher, Miller, sophomore Connor Czajkowski and freshman Nickens Lemba finished in 3:03.72 to top the previous record of 3:04.75, set in 2016. Seeded No. 21 entering the meet, the foursome finished 10th overall to earn the first of three non-automatic qualifying spots to the national meet. The time also topped the Boilermakers' previous best mark from earlier this season by more than three seconds, which had earned the squad a bronze medal at the Big Ten Championships on May 12.
Allen earned Purdue's first NCAA Championships qualification of the day, as he moves on to nationals for the first time in his career. At his second NCAA First Round, Allen was sixth in the discus with a mark of 57.87 meters. It came on his third and final attempt, after a second throw of 57.24m that also would have been good enough to send him to Eugene.
Aniamaka and Wills both qualified in the triple jump. Aniamaka was seventh with a mark of 15.93m, just ahead of Wills, who was eighth with a jump of 15.91m. Aniamaka wasted no time securing his third NCAA Championships berth, as he earned his best mark on his first attempt. The junior was ninth outdoors a season ago and also ninth indoors earlier this year.
Wills' second jump was what sent him to NCAAs for the third time in his career. A graduate student, Wills was 15th in 2022 and 22nd in 2021 nationally in the triple jump.
Moments after Aniamaka and Wills punched their ticket to Oregon, Miller did the same in the 200m. He was ninth overall in 20.25 and third in his heat to earn one of the three automatic-qualifying spots in the first heat. The school record-holder in the 200m both indoors and outdoors, Miller made his fourth national championship meet, as he earned First Team All-America accolades indoors earlier this season after he was eighth outdoors and fourth indoors in 2023. His 200m finish on Friday night came one hour before he helped the 4x400 relay earn its own nationals berth.
Senior Caleb Williams ran at his first NCAA First Round and was 19th in the 3,000m steeplechase. Williams finished with a time of 8:58.43 and finished 10 spots better than his seed of 29th.
The day began with the high jump, where freshman Bode Gilkerson made his NCAA debut. He finished 42nd overall with a clearance of 2.04m.
On Wednesday to begin the weekend, Miller advanced to the quarterfinals in the 200m, and on Thursday, freshman Alexia Smith moved on in the 400m
Smith and the women conclude their competition on Saturday, May 25. Action gets underway for the Old Gold and Black with the steeplechase at 5:40 p.m. and the triple jump at 6 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 ESPN+. Additional NCAA First Round information, including tickets and the complete schedule, is available UKAthletics.com. Updates from Lexington 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.
The Boilermakers have 16 qualifiers this week represented by 18 student-athletes in 14 different events. Purdue has multiple competitors in two events, and one relay also is among the field for the Old Gold and Black.
The NCAA East First Round, along with the West First Round, feature 48 qualifiers in each individual event and 24 teams in each relay. The top 12 finishers in every event from both the east and west will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, from June 5-8.
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.