VALPARAISO, Ind. – Purdue Cross Country opened the season on Friday night at the Winrow Valparaiso Open with second place finishes by the men’s and women’s teams.
Men’s Notes
• Nerius White led the men’s team with a ninth-place finish in 18:19.0. It was just the second 6k of his career.
• Nate Assa finished 11th in 18:30.4 in his collegiate debut. He joins Kiefer Bell and Douglas Buckeridge as the only three Purdue freshmen to break 18:35.0 in a 6k since 2018.
• Quintin Lowe followed right behind Assa with a personal best 18:39.7. It was his best 6k run by over 25 seconds.
• Daniel Emmert ran 18:41.7 in his collegiate debut to finish 13th. He is one of five Boilermaker freshmen to run faster than 18:50.0 in the last eight seasons.
• Neal White also had his collegiate debut on Friday and ran 18:53.7.
Women’s Notes
- Elise Peckinpaugh was the highest Boilermakers’ finisher in sixth. She ran 17:36.8 to set a 5k personal best by 48 seconds. It was her first time racing in the 5k in her collegiate career.
• Julia Economou followed in ninth with a personal best 17:46.0. Her mark is the best of her career by over a minute after she ran 18:50.5 in her collegiate debut in 2023.
• Sofia Munoz came in 11th after she finished in 18:10.3 and set a personal best by nearly 18 seconds.
• Ally Wigand followed the personal best trend with a four-second improvement (18:18.5) to finish 13th.
Next Up
Purdue heads to Michigan State for the Big Ten Preview on Friday, Sept. 12.