WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Cross Country’s Douglas Buckeridge and Lauren Pegher were named Big Ten Cross Country Runners to Watch this season, the conference announced on Wednesday.
Buckeridge is a three-time Great Lakes All-Region honoree and was 43rd at the NCAA Championships in 2024. Last season, Buckeridge finished seventh at the Big Ten Championships on his way to First Team All-Big Ten recognition. He was the seventh different Boilermaker on the men’s side to earn first team honors in cross country.
On the track, Buckeridge owns Purdue’s 10,000m school record and holds six total top 10 performances in school history.
Pegher competed in five meets during cross country last season and had her top finish in 76th at the Spartan Invitational. She also improved her finish at the Big Ten Championships by 21 spots from her freshmen year to her sophomore year. On the track, Pegher owns the third-best 3000m and fifth-best 5000m indoors in school history.
The Boilers gear up for the 2026 season set to begin on Friday, September 4 at the Winrow Valparaiso Open.
