EUGENE, Ore. – Junior Praise Aniamaka earned First Team All-America honors as the Purdue track & field team concluded competition at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on Friday evening.
Aniamaka was one of three Boilermakers competing on Friday, and one of five entries for the Old Gold and Black at the national championship meet at Oregon's Hayward Field.
In the triple jump, Aniamaka was sixth to collect All-America accolades for the third time in his career, along with second team distinction indoors earlier this season and outdoors in 2023. Both of his previous two appearances at the NCAA Championships ended with ninth place finishes before Aniamaka reached the podium on Friday to place in the top eight, score points for Purdue and be recognized as a First Team All-American.
A native of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, Aniamaka joins a select group of First Team All-America honorees in the triple jump in school history. He is the second ever outdoors, along with Ike Olekaibe in 2000. Including indoors, Aniamaka is the seventh to garner first team distinction and the first since Anaquan Peterson in 2016. Including the women's squad, just three Boilermakers have been recognized as First Team All-Americans outdoors in the triple jump, as Aniamaka and Olekaibe are joined by 1984 awardee Yvonne Netterville.
Aniamaka was sixth overall on Friday night with a jump of 16.30 meters. The mark came on his fourth of six attempts, and his first jump of the final, to move him up from ninth place into sixth. Aniamaka made the final thanks to a second attempt jump of 16.21m. That put him in ninth place, which he maintained after three rounds to take the last spot in the final.
It was that second jump of 16.21m that secured Aniamaka's sixth-place finish, as the seventh-place jumper also earned a mark of 16.30m, but Aniamaka's 16.21m was the better of each competitor's second-best jumps. The Boilermaker finished sixth after entering the meet as the No. 12 seed.
The First Team All-America accolade concludes a memorable season for Aniamaka. Along with reaching the national championships both indoors and outdoors, he won his second consecutive outdoor triple jump Big Ten title. This year's gold medal was won with a meet-record jump of 16.49m on May 12, which moved him up to No. 2 in Purdue's record book.
Graduate student Safin Wills also competed in the triple jump and was 17th with a mark of 15.50m. That came on his first of three attempts. With the result, Wills was bestowed with Honorable Mention All-America distinction. It's his fourth career recognition and third in the triple jump, along with second team honors in 2022 and honorable mention accolades in 2021.
At his third NCAA Championships, Wills' 2024 campaign included a fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships in both the triple jump and long jump. His triple jump mark of 15.95m at Big Tens put him into Purdue's top-10 list at No. 8 all-time.
Meanwhile, sophomore Seth Allen made his NCAA Championships debut in the discus. He was 18th with a throw of 55.55m. Achieved on his second attempt, he was recognized as an Honorable Mention All-American for the first time.
Along with reaching his first national championship after competing at his second NCAA First Round, Allen's season was highlighted by a Big Ten title on May 12. A throw of 60.95m moved him up to No. 2 in school history while securing Big Ten gold.
Thanks to Aniamaka, Purdue scored three points to place in the overall team standings. It's the first time the men's program has scored at a national meet since 2020-21, both in cross country and indoor track & field. The last time the Boilermaker men placed outdoors was 2019.
On Wednesday to begin the championships, graduate student Cameron Miller was 12th in the 200-meter to earn his sixth career All-America honor and the men's 4x400 relay was 19th.
Purdue had five entries at this week's national championships, up from three a year ago. The Boilermakers' five men's qualifiers is tied for second-most among Big Ten programs.
The NCAA Championships feature 24 entries in each event, 12 who qualified from the NCAA East First Round and 12 from the west. Purdue's five entries all earned national championships berths in Lexington, Kentucky, from May 22-25.
This weekend's NCAA Championships concludes the 2023-24 season for Purdue. Select current and former Boilermakers will compete at the Olympic and Paralympic trials and the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. Following the summer of international competition, the 2024-25 year will begin with the cross country season. That schedule will be announced as fall approaches.
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.
Aniamaka was one of three Boilermakers competing on Friday, and one of five entries for the Old Gold and Black at the national championship meet at Oregon's Hayward Field.
In the triple jump, Aniamaka was sixth to collect All-America accolades for the third time in his career, along with second team distinction indoors earlier this season and outdoors in 2023. Both of his previous two appearances at the NCAA Championships ended with ninth place finishes before Aniamaka reached the podium on Friday to place in the top eight, score points for Purdue and be recognized as a First Team All-American.
A native of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, Aniamaka joins a select group of First Team All-America honorees in the triple jump in school history. He is the second ever outdoors, along with Ike Olekaibe in 2000. Including indoors, Aniamaka is the seventh to garner first team distinction and the first since Anaquan Peterson in 2016. Including the women's squad, just three Boilermakers have been recognized as First Team All-Americans outdoors in the triple jump, as Aniamaka and Olekaibe are joined by 1984 awardee Yvonne Netterville.
Aniamaka was sixth overall on Friday night with a jump of 16.30 meters. The mark came on his fourth of six attempts, and his first jump of the final, to move him up from ninth place into sixth. Aniamaka made the final thanks to a second attempt jump of 16.21m. That put him in ninth place, which he maintained after three rounds to take the last spot in the final.
It was that second jump of 16.21m that secured Aniamaka's sixth-place finish, as the seventh-place jumper also earned a mark of 16.30m, but Aniamaka's 16.21m was the better of each competitor's second-best jumps. The Boilermaker finished sixth after entering the meet as the No. 12 seed.
The First Team All-America accolade concludes a memorable season for Aniamaka. Along with reaching the national championships both indoors and outdoors, he won his second consecutive outdoor triple jump Big Ten title. This year's gold medal was won with a meet-record jump of 16.49m on May 12, which moved him up to No. 2 in Purdue's record book.
Graduate student Safin Wills also competed in the triple jump and was 17th with a mark of 15.50m. That came on his first of three attempts. With the result, Wills was bestowed with Honorable Mention All-America distinction. It's his fourth career recognition and third in the triple jump, along with second team honors in 2022 and honorable mention accolades in 2021.
At his third NCAA Championships, Wills' 2024 campaign included a fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships in both the triple jump and long jump. His triple jump mark of 15.95m at Big Tens put him into Purdue's top-10 list at No. 8 all-time.
Meanwhile, sophomore Seth Allen made his NCAA Championships debut in the discus. He was 18th with a throw of 55.55m. Achieved on his second attempt, he was recognized as an Honorable Mention All-American for the first time.
Along with reaching his first national championship after competing at his second NCAA First Round, Allen's season was highlighted by a Big Ten title on May 12. A throw of 60.95m moved him up to No. 2 in school history while securing Big Ten gold.
Thanks to Aniamaka, Purdue scored three points to place in the overall team standings. It's the first time the men's program has scored at a national meet since 2020-21, both in cross country and indoor track & field. The last time the Boilermaker men placed outdoors was 2019.
On Wednesday to begin the championships, graduate student Cameron Miller was 12th in the 200-meter to earn his sixth career All-America honor and the men's 4x400 relay was 19th.
Purdue had five entries at this week's national championships, up from three a year ago. The Boilermakers' five men's qualifiers is tied for second-most among Big Ten programs.
The NCAA Championships feature 24 entries in each event, 12 who qualified from the NCAA East First Round and 12 from the west. Purdue's five entries all earned national championships berths in Lexington, Kentucky, from May 22-25.
This weekend's NCAA Championships concludes the 2023-24 season for Purdue. Select current and former Boilermakers will compete at the Olympic and Paralympic trials and the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. Following the summer of international competition, the 2024-25 year will begin with the cross country season. That schedule will be announced as fall approaches.
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.