ORLANDO, Fla. – Purdue Track & Field wrapped up its second consecutive weekend in Florida on Saturday with event wins from Victory Achakpoekri (400m) and Joel Gates (Discus).
Men’s Notes
• Achakpoekri’s 45.88 in the 400m to earn his UCF Knights Invite win was the No. 2 time in outdoor school history. He is just one of three Boilers to break 45 seconds outdoors and had the fastest time since Nicholas Parks’ school record (45.71) on May 28, 2016.
• Gates took his victory in the discus with a personal best throw (54.35m / 178-03). He joined the Boilers this season after regionals-qualifying campaign as a true freshman last season at Tennessee.
• Zion Jackson ran a wind-legal 14.26 in the 110mH and finish as the UCF Knights Invite runner-up. It was his best performance in four races so far this season. He took seventh in the prelims (14.37) to earn his spot in the finals.
• Zach Mylenek ran a personal-best 47.22 in the 400m to finish sixth, while Jax Coleman’s personal best 47.40 placed him eighth.
• Elliot Ryba finished fifth in the high jump (2.06m / 6-09.00) in his first collegiate outdoor competition.
Women’s Notes
• The Boilers’ high jump duo of Amarianna Lofton (1.75m / 5-08.75) and Jubilee Felder (1.72m / 5-07.75) took second and third, respectively. Lofton now has two finishes in the top two to begin her Purdue career.
• Purdue’s twin throwing duo of Britannie Johnson (53.05m / 174-00) and Britannia Johnson (52.85m / 173-04) too second and third, respectively, in the discus. Britannie Johnson’s throw tied her personal best.
• Nia Wilson finished tied for seventh in the 100m (11.49) but due to the +4.8 m/s wind the time will not enter any national ranking system. Wind must stay at or below +4.0 m/s.
Next Up
Purdue has a weekend off before traveling to the Spec Towns Invitational in Athens, Georgia (April 10-11).
