LEXINGTON, Ky. – On her final throw of the NCAA East First Round, Britannie Johnson qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the shot put in Eugene (June 10-13). Marissa Palmer (200m) and Alexia Smith (400m) both added qualifications to quarterfinals on Saturday.
Day Two Notes
• Johnson threw a personal best 16.91m (55-05.75) to finish ninth in the NCAA East shot put. The throw, on her final attempt, propelled her from 21st up to her national-qualifying spot. Johnson qualified for her first NCAA Championships and earned Purdue’s third ticket after Seamus Malaski qualified in both the hammer throw and shot put on Wednesday.
• Smith took second in her heat of the 400m to earn an automatic qualification to Saturday’s quarterfinals set for 6:50 p.m. She will look to qualify for her first NCAA Championships after she finished her season in the NCAA East quarterfinals the last two seasons.
• Marissa Palmer ran 23.18 in the 200m and finished 21st in the first round to qualify for the quarterfinals on Saturday at 7:50 p.m. Her time was a wind-legal personal best and moved her up to fourth in school history.
• Blessing Gideon finished 30th in the long jump (5.92m / 19-05.25). Her season continues on Saturday in the triple jump, her stronger event, where she is ranked 14th.
Next Up
Purdue’s men’s program eight entries on its final day of the NCAA East First Round on Friday starting at 1 p.m.
