MADISON, Wis. – The Purdue cross country teams got their first look at the course that will be used for the NCAA Cross Country Championship on Saturday with the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals. The men took home their second race win of the year, while the women placed 13th.
MEN'S 8,000m – 1st, 73 pts
The Purdue men placed four runners in the top 20 of the 8,000m "B" race. Nathan Walker climbed up two spots over his final 2,000 meters to lead Purdue with a third-place finish in a time of 23:48.9.
Douglas Buckeridge followed close behind in fourth with a time of 23:50.8.
Two Boilermakers finished within one-tenth of a second to place in the top 20. Kiefer Bell jumped up 26 places in the final 4,000 meters to finish 16th with a mark of 24:22.3. Caleb Williams added to the low scoring with an 18th-place position in 24:22.4.
Jason Polydoris closed out the scoring in 32nd with a time of 24:32.2
"We absolutely dominated. We didn't race well at Joe Piane, and knew that something had to change. We had a specific plan to execute today and we got it done. Full team effort. Special day for our group. 91 points with 2,000 to go and squeezed it down to 73 at the finish. You could feel the momentum from our one to five." - Assistant coach Rebecca Richtman
Nathan Walker – 3rd, 23:48.9
Douglas Buckeridge – 4th, 23:50.8
Kiefer Bell – 16th, 24:22.3
Caleb Williams – 18th, 24:22.4
Jason Polydoris – 32nd, 24:32.2
Geno Christofanel – 69th, 25:00.2
Nerius White – 76th, 25:04.5
Brady Yoder – 124th, 25:38.3
WOMEN'S 6,000m – 13th, 369 pts
For the fourth straight race this season, Payne Turney was the top runner for Purdue, as the Boilermakers tallied a 13th-place finish. The graduate student crossed the line in 34th place with a time of 21:22.4. Turney climbed 13 over her final 2,000 meters.
Caroline Jordan placed 41st with a 21:28.4, beating her personal best by three seconds. Emma Squires was the third Boilermaker runner across the line in 77th in 21:50.4. Meredith Bloss was 93rd with a mark of 22:02.1, while Paige Hazelrigg notched a 125th-place finish with a clip of 22:31.8,
Ally Wigand finished outside the scoring, but shaved 16 seconds off her previous best, crossing the line in 24:15.1
"We were projected 17th and finished 13th as a team. Our fifth was our star today. Our No. 1 and 2 were able to close down the last 2,000 making their races really solid for our group. We have a couple of things we need to work on executing heading into championship season, but we are really close." - Assistant coach Rebecca Richtman
Payne Turney – 34th (34), 21:22.4
Caroline Jordan – 41st (41), 21:28.4
Emma Squires – 77th (77), 21:50.4
Meredith Bloss – 93rd (93), 22:02.1
Paige Hazelrigg – 125th (124), 22:31.8
Jaelyn Burgos – 136th, 22:36.6
Sarah Maggio – 146th, 22:46.1
Ally Wigand – 195th, 24:15.1
UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will head back to Savoy, Ill., for the Big Ten Championships on Nov. 1.