The Purdue men's and women's track and field teams came away with many top performances against 25 teams and 900 athletes in the Purdue Open on Saturday.

"I think that this was a great meet to have at this point in the season," Purdue coach Mike Poehlein said. "We came out with the intentions of getting some good marks and getting a strong start to our 2000 season, and I think that we did that."

The first day of the Purdue Open showcased the talents of the Purdue throwers Chris Spurrier and Chris Brown. The second day, the field event athletes provided more excitement.

Senior captain Ike Olekaibe and junior transfer Amukela Gweku led the Boilers in the long jump competition. Olekaibe claimed the top spot with his season-best mark of 23-feet 3-inches. Gweku was close behind with a jump of 22-7.

The Purdue high jumpers also did well.

Freshman Shawn Guice , an indoor high jump All-American, finished second with a mark of 6-10 3/4. The only athlete to beat Guice was teammate Ryan Fitzpatric. Fitzpatric also cleared 6-10 3/4 but claimed first place on misses.

"I think that the duo of Olekaibe and Gwebu could be very positive in the outdoor season ahead," Purdue jumps coach Lissa Olson said. "Gwebu and Ike feed well off of each other, and I think that they want to build on the success that Purdue jumpers have had in the past."

The throwers had some success again on Saturday, as Brown and Nick Swathwood finished 6th and 7th in the discus, respectively. Brown's mark of 155-10 — the Boilers' best mark this season — earned him a sixth-place finish.

Freshman Prentice Stovall continued his success in the outdoor season, claiming second place in the 110-meter high hurdles. Stovall crossed the line in 14.42 for his best finish of the outdoor season.

Junior captain Markus Williams also had a strong day. He finished third in the 400m dash with a time of 48.62.

The Boiler women were led by impressive performances both on and off the track.

Sophomore Barbara Wenger led Purdue in the distance events, winning the 5,000m run.

Boiler thrower Serene Ross also finished in first with a javelin throw of 153.

Also turning in impressive marks for the Purdue women were Tina Johnson and Shonda Robinson, who both notched second-place finishes in the long jump and the 100m dash, respectively. Robinson closed the line in 12.09, while Johnson jumped 19-6.

The Boilers' 4x100m relay team also finished in second place with a time of 47.30.