Mar. 3, 1998
Brian Alford (Oak Park, Mich., Oak Park H.S.), a senior on the Purdue men's track and field team, and Stephanie White (West Lebanon, Ind., Seeger Memorial H.S.), a junior on the women's basketball team, were named Purdue's Athletes-of-the-Month for their outstanding performances throughout February. The award is sponsored by WLFI-TV and Twin City Dodge-Chrysler-Plymouth.
Alford, who joined the track team following an outstanding football career with the Boilermakers, was the biggest contributor to Purdue's third-place finish at the Big Ten Indoor Track and FieldChampionships held Feb. 28-March 1 in West Lafayette. Alford competed in the 55- and 200-meter dashes for Purdue, and won titles in both, giving Purdue 20 of its 81 total points, which helped the Boilermakers to their highest conference finish since 1989.
Alford ran the 55-meter dash trials in 6.44, then completed the semifinals in 6.33. His time dropped even further in the finals, as he broke the tape in a season-best 6.29 to capture the title.
Alford's success in the 200-meter dash mirrored his accomplishments in the shorter sprint. He qualified for the finals with a time of 21.72, then won the event in a Lambert Fieldhouse record and personal-best time of 21.35.
The week prior to the conference meet, Alford won the 200-meter dash at the Hoosier Hills Open in Bloomington in a time of 21.64. This time was better than 37 others who competed in the race.
White, a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and media, capped off the month by helping the Boilermakers to three consecutive wins, including a 71-68 upset over then-No. 10 Illinois on Feb. 22 in Mackey Arena. White converted 11-of-21 field goal attempts and 7-of-8 free throws to score a career-high 30 points against the Illini. She also cleared seven rebounds and played 40 minutes to lead Purdue in the upset.
The Big Ten Conference scoring champion with a 21.2 points per game average, White put in 16 and dished off 10 assists in a 79-67 win over Northwestern on Feb. 20. On Feb. 15, the guard/forward poured in 28 in a losing effort at 19th-ranked Wisconsin.
White began the month with 26 points in a 73-67 loss to Iowa on Feb. 6, then scored 15 and 11 against Michigan and Michigan State, respectively. She closed the month with 19 points in a 65-56 win over archrival Indiana in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis on Feb. 28. White also contributed four rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot in the win which snapped a three-game losing streak to the Hoosiers and propelled the Boilermakers to the semifinals where they defeated top-seeded Iowa 61-60. Purdue, the No. 5 seed, went on to win the Big Ten Tournament with a 59-49 defeat of seventh-seeded Penn State on March 2, and White received All-Tournament honors.
Purdue's indoor track season is complete, but the women's basketball season will continue with the NCAA Tournament.