Outdoor Track & Field Season Begins at Miami
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The outdoor season begins for the Purdue track & field team with a pair of meets this weekend, the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, Florida, from March 18-19 and the Blizzard Buster in Oxford, Ohio, on March 18.
The Boilermaker sprinters, jumpers and throwers conclude their week-long spring break training trip in Miami with the Hurricane Invitational, hosted by Miami (Florida). The meet at Cobb Stadium begins on Friday, March 18, with the discus at 12:30 p.m. ET and the pole vault and high jump at 3 p.m. On Saturday, March 19, field events commence at 11 a.m. and running events start at 1 p.m. The final event is set for 3:20 p.m.
Purdue’s distance runners race at the Blizzard Buster on Friday, March 18, hosted by Miami (Ohio) at George L. Rider Track. The Boilermakers will run in the 1,500m at 12 p.m. ET and the 800m at 1:45 p.m.
Fans can follow along from Florida with live results and the meet schedule, while ACC Network Extra will stream Saturday’s competition. Fans can track live results and follow the meet schedule from Ohio. Updates also can be found by following and connecting with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Additional information, including direct links to follow along, are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
Eighteen women and 16 men will compete at the two-day Hurricane Invitational in South Florida, while seven men and five women make the short trip to the Blizzard Buster in southwest Ohio.
A LOOK BACK AT THE 2021 OUTDOOR SEASON
The Boilermakers earned five All-America accolades and won six Big Ten medals, including two golds, to highlight the 2021 outdoor track & field season. Conference titles were won by Tamar Greene, in the triple jump, and the men’s 4×100 relay, and Greene and Isaiah Martin collected second team All-America honors. Along with Greene, Big Ten champion Justin Becker (4×100 relay), runners-up K’Ja Talley, Cierra Williams and Saran Kouyeth (4×400 relay) and bronze medalists Alexis Zatta (high jump) and Kouyeth, Talley, Naomi Campbell and Camille Christopher (4×100 relay) are all back in 2022. Greene and Martin are joined by honorable mention All-Americans Becker, Kouyeth, Talley and Williams who return in 2022.
LAST TIME OUT: BIG TEN INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
At the Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships from February 25-26, the Boilermakers tallied 15 top-eight podium finishes and won five medals. Ten top-10 marks in school history were recorded and 20 personal-best marks were achieved. Junior Safin Wills won silver in the triple jump and bronze in the long jump, freshman Praise Aniamaka claimed bronze in the triple jump, fifth-year senior Antonio Mitchell II was third in the 200m and freshman Shianne Dacosta earned a bronze medal in the 400m.
In the team standings, the men finished seventh overall with 48 points. The Boilermakers finished in the top seven for a fourth consecutive year (2019-22), which comes after they placed outside the top nine each of the previous four years (2015-18) and in nine of the previous 13 (2006-18). The women were 12th with 21 points.
A complete recap from day one and day two, including full results, can be found at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
NEXT UP: RALEIGH RELAYS
Purdue’s distance runners return to action next weekend, when the Boilermakers travel to the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, North Carolina. The three-day meet hosted by North Carolina State is set for March 24-26.
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com/TrackField and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
