TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – A pair of second-place individual finishes propelled the Purdue cross country team to men’s and women’s team victories at the John McNichols Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Saturday morning. COMPLETE RESULTS (PDF)
Purdue Dominates Women’s Race
Senior Curt Eckstein was second overall for the men, and sophomore Katelyn Wasson was the women’s runner-up at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. The women recorded two of the top three times and four placed in the top six on the 5k course, while the men had four top-10 marks in the 8k race.
In the team standings, the Boilermaker women earned 24 points to beat second-place Indiana (49 points) and third-place Ball State (87 points). The men collected 36 points and bested Indiana and Eastern Illinois, who each had 55 points. Fourteen other schools competed at the meet, including host-Indiana State and Big Ten foe Indiana.
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“The women put together a great team effort today,” Purdue coach John Oliver said. “They continue to embrace the tough midrace moments and race for each other. For the men, it was nice for them to put a hard effort out there. It was a good marker to see how much growth we have had and areas we can still keep on improving.”
Wasson was second overall in the women’s race in 17:42.4, while freshman teammate Emma Squires was less than a second behind her, in 17:43.2. In her collegiate debut, Squires finished third by more than seven seconds. Junior Emma Tate was fifth in 17:51.3, and senior Megan Slamkowski registered a sixth-place finish in 17:53.5. Sophomore Payne Turney also was in the top-10, with a mark of 17:59.8 to place eighth.
Sophomore Ellie Tate was 14th in 18:25.3, and sophomore Meagan Hathaway finished in 23rd, in 18:50.7, to round out Purdue’s seven scoring finishers.
Boilermakers Win Men’s Team Crown Too…
Eckstein paced the way for the men with a runner-up time of 24:24.3, as he was just 1.6 seconds behind the winner. Junior Alec Fleming was sixth overall in 24:51.4 in a tightly-contested finish for fifth to the eighth place that was decided by 3.6 seconds. Senior Bailey McIntire was ninth, in 25:01.2, while junior Blake Selm notched a 10th-place finish in 25:02.1.
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In 13th was freshman Caleb Williams, in 25:15.1, and sophomore Andrew Brandt was 15th in 25:20.0. Seventh for the Boilermakers, and 17th overall, was sophomore John Pieper, who crossed the line in 25:22.6. Eckstein, Fleming, McIntire, Pieper and Selm all made their season debuts on Saturday.
Additionally for the women, freshmen Lauren Bales (24th, 18:57.1), Caroline Jordan (32nd, 19:16) and Leah Keesling (37th, 19:32.0) and senior Anna Morozov (71st, 20:35.5) ran in the 133-competitor race.
Also running for the men in the 149-athlete meet was junior Ian Hunter (18th, 25:24.6), freshmen Bryce Hutchinson (23rd, 25:36.2), Ian Shaw (25th, 25:44.0), Geno Christofanelli (27th, 25:57.6), Ryan Ruppert (33rd, 26:20.1), Alex Frey (37th, 26:26.6) and William White (54th, 27:03.6). Hunter also made his season debut in Terre Haute.
Up next, the Boilermakers remain in the state of Indiana and head north to South Bend, Indiana, for the Joe Piane Invitational on October 1. Notre Dame hosts the October-opening meet, which is set for a 12 p.m. ET start.
