TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Purdue Cross Country finished its opening meet of the season at the John McNichols Invitational, hosted by Indiana State. The Boilers will race at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course up to three times this season with the Pre-National Invitational (Oct. 16) and NCAA Championships (Nov. 21) also at the course.
Saturday was a competitive meet with 12 of the top 25 men’s programs nationally and seven of the top 25 women’s programs in attendance.
Men’s Notes
• In the competitive field, Nerius White paced the Boilers in 51st (24:30.7) in a field of 263 runners. He was 100th after 3k and worked up to 78th at 5k before he jumped 27 places in the final 3k.
• Sophomore Nate Assa finished second for the Boilers in 91st (24:54.2). The time was 10.7 seconds faster than his best last season.
• Douglas Buckeridge rounded out Purdue’s top three in 124th (25:13.2).
• Joseph Redle (172nd), Jace Works (186th) and Riley Simmonds (193rd) all made their collegiate debut.
• As a team, Purdue finished 21st out of 34. The Boilers were just one spot behind No. 23-ranked Air Force and two spots ahead of in-state rival Indiana.
Women’s Notes
• Lauren Pegher led Purdue in 80th after she ran 21:34.6. She worked through multiple spots in the pack throughout the race when she was 80th after 2k, 52nd after 4k and then ultimately finished 80th. The time was a personal best and broke her 21:37.0 set at the 2024 Big Ten Championships.
• Katherine Valentine showed strong in her sophomore opener in 92nd with a personal best 21:47.5. She was 117th at 2k, jumped to 105th at 4k and finished 13 spots higher at the finish. It was her best time by 52.8 seconds.
• Ally Wigand was Purdue’s third finisher in 126th after she ran 22:15.4 for a personal best by 8.3 seconds.
• As a team, Purdue finished 20th out of 28.
Next Up
The Boilers travel to Chicago for the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational on Friday, Sept. 25.
