WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Track & Field gears up for the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana from Feb. 26-28.
Men’s Notes
• Samuel Vessat is coming off a school record 45.68 in the 400m that moved him up to No. 16 in the country and No. 4 in the Big Ten. It was only Vessat’s third-career open 400m race on an indoor track.
• The men’s 4x400m team of Jax Coleman, Zyan Greene, Zach Mylenek and Vessat ranks third in the Big Ten (3:06.65) and is fourth in Purdue history.
• Bode Gilkerson sits tied for 18th in the country and fourth in the Big Ten in the high jump (2.18m / 7-01.75). He finished fourth at last season’s indoor championships. Elliot Ryba holds the No. 9 spot in the conference (2.12m / 6-11.50).
• Seamus Malaski is fifth in the Big Ten in the weight throw (21.86m / 71-08.75) and seventh in the shot put (19.10m / 62-08.00). Both marks rank top 25 nationally.
• Hugh Jacobsmeyer set a school record in the 800m (1:48.37) in his last race. The performance broke Darrin Wilcoxson’s previous record of 1:48.70 set in 1993.
• Chidozie Kalu participated in his first triple jump of the season during the final regular season meet and jumped 15.73m (51-07.25) to enter the Big Ten rankings at No. 6.
Women’s Notes
• Britannie Johnson turned in the No. 16 weight throw performance in the country this season after she threw 21.67m (71-01.25) at the Tiger Paw Invitational. The mark is eighth in the Big Ten. Her sister, Britannia Johnson, is 10th in the Big Ten in the event (20.96m / 68-09.25).
• Alexia Smith is fifth in the Big Ten in the 400m with a converted 52.63 due to altitude. She was sixth at last season’s indoor championships after running 52.88 in the finals.
• Zoe Sullivan enters the championships fifth in the 60mH after she ran 8.17 at the Arkansas qualifier on Feb. 20. She has scored points in the event in back-to-back Big Ten Indoor Championships with her best finish being sixth last season.
• Leena Pfister (3,997 points) and Angeline Amefia (3,955 points) rank seventh and ninth in the Big Ten, respectively, in the pentathlon.
Next Up
Boilers that qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships will compete in Fayetteville, Arkansas rom March 13-14. The rest of the team will prepare for the outdoor season that begins March 20-21 at the USF Alumni Invitational in Tampa, Florida.
Men’s B1G Event Entries
60m: Zion Jackson
200m: Kamryn Harry, Jordan Moulton
400m: Zyan Greene, Samuel Vessat
800m: Hugh Jacobsmeyer
5000m: Douglas Buckeridge
60mH: Zion Jackson
High Jump: Bode Gilkerson, Elliot Ryba
Triple Jump: Chidozie Kalu
Shot Put: Joel Gates, Seamus Malaski
Weight Throw: Seamus Malaski
Heptathlon: Warner Papillion
4x400m Relay
Distance Medley Relay
Women’s B1G Event Entries
60m: Jayla Cooper, Nia Wilson
200m: Ashley Odiase, Shadae Thompson
400m: Alexia Smith, Caliyah Wallace
5000m: Lauren Pegher
60mH: Alexa Adams, Jayla Cooper, Zoe Sullivan
High Jump: Jubilee Felder
Long Jump: Nelly Sohn
Triple Jump: Blessing Gideon
Shot Put: Britannie Johnson
Weight Throw: Britannia Johnson, Britannie Johnson
Pentathlon: Angeline Amefia, Leena Pfister
4x400m Relay
Distance Medley Relay
