Buckeridge Leads Purdue at Spartan Invite/Big Ten PreviewBuckeridge Leads Purdue at Spartan Invite/Big Ten Preview

Buckeridge Leads Purdue at Spartan Invite/Big Ten Preview

Purdue Cross Country’s Douglas Buckeridge finished fourth to lead the Boilermakers at the Spartan Invite/Big Ten Preview on Friday.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Purdue Cross Country’s Douglas Buckeridge finished fourth to lead the Boilermakers at the Spartan Invite/Big Ten Preview on Friday.

Men’s Notes
• The Boilermakers finished fourth as a team holding spots ahead of Cincinnati (fifth), Indiana (sixth) and Rutgers (seventh).
• Buckeridge led the way with his fourth-place finish in the 8k (23:52.8). He held a spot in the top five of the field for the final 4k of the race.
Nathan Walker finished 15th in his season debut in 24:13.4. He improved five spots in the final 4k of the race to earn his top 15 finish.
Kiefer Bell took 25th (24:26.5) and Jason Polydoris took 30th (24:34.9) in their season debuts.
Nerius White crossed the line in 51st (25:02.2) to round out Purdue’s top five runners.

Women’s Notes
Sofia Munoz paced the Boilermakers in the 6k competition and finished 61st (21:57.4). She ran a personal best by 22 seconds and set a personal best for the second time in as many meets to start the season. 
Lauren Pegher took 75th (22:18.6) in her season debut. Julia Economou followed Pegher in 79th (22:20.7). 
Elise Peckinpaugh ran 22:22.5 and Sophia Yon ran 22:34.6 to round out the Boilers’ top five.
Elizabeth Butler (22:56.2) and Katherine Valentine (23:25.7) both made their collegiate debut.
• Purdue finished ninth in the team standings.

Next Up
Purdue has a three-week break before returning to the course on Friday, Oct. 3 at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational.