FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Purdue Track & Field had its pair of NCAA Indoor Championships qualifiers compete on Friday with Samuel Vessat advancing to Saturday’s 400m finals and Seamus Malaski earning Second Team All-American honors in the weight throw.
Vessat Notes
• Vessat ran 45.59 to finish fifth in the prelims and win his heat. The cutoff for advancing to the finals was 45.83.
• The Paris, France native is one of two Big Ten athletes in the finals, while the other six spots are held by SEC athletes.
• Vessat becomes the first Boilermaker on the men’s side to advance to the 400m final at the indoor championships. Brian Faust, the only other Purdue qualifier for NCAA indoors, finished 12th in 2021 (46.56).
• Faust held the previous 400m school record of 45.87, set in 2021, heading into this season and Vessat has now topped that time in three of his last four races.
Malaski Notes
• Malaski earned Second Team All-American honors in the weight throw after finishing 12th (21.72m / 71-03.25). He was the only freshman/redshirt freshman competitor to earn All-American status in the event.
• He entered elite Purdue company by joining Chukwuebuka Enekwechi (2013) as the only two Purdue men’s athletes to earn All-American in the weight throw as a redshirt freshman. Purdue now has 10 total men’s All-American campaigns in the event, all since 2000.
• Malaski’s personal best (22.52m / 73-10.75) tops Enekwechi’s best (21.90m / 71-10.25) as a redshirt freshman.
• The Crown Point, Indiana native wraps up his first collegiate indoor season second in school history in the weight throw and fourth in the shot put (19.32m / 63-04.75).
Next Up
Vessat concludes Purdue’s indoor season in the 400m finals on Saturday, March 14 at 6 p.m. ET streaming on ESPN+.
