By Katie Rippel
Staff Writer

Teresa Kamleiter was the top finisher for the Boilermaker track and field team this weekend at the U.S. Track Coaches' Association National Invitational Team Championship in Austin, Texas.

The freshman took fifth place in the 5,000-meter run with a season-best time of 17:12.29. Junior Nicole Nigh brought home a ninth-place finish in the same race. Maureen Sweeney of Texas won the event with an NCAA championship-qualifying time of 16:49.33.

Purdue, as a team, finished tied for 12th place with California Polytechnic State University. The host Longhorns of Texas won the meet.

Several Boilers joined Kamleiter and Nigh with good performances. Sophomore Barbara Wenger finished sixth in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:05.83. She was less than 20 seconds behind winner Korene Hinds of Kansas State.

Junior Ann Stechschulte rounded out the placers for Purdue's distance runners by taking eighth place in the 1,500-meter race. Stechschulte finished in 4:36.46.

The 400-meter relay team of senior Angie Draper, juniors Tina Johnson and Shonda Robinson and sophomore Krissy Liphardt finished the placing for Purdue on the track by taking the eighth spot. The team from Texas won the race.

In the field events, Purdue had several strong performances. Sophomore Janelle Johnson was in the top 20 in both the triple jump and the long jump, finishing 14th and 17th, respectively. In the high jump, seniors Carri Long and Beth Reid finished eighth and 11th, respectively.

Ebbie Metzinger and Katie Rorem took eighth and ninth place, respectively, in the pole vault. Senior Darria Clayton finished in 12th place in both the shot put and the discus.

In the hammer, junior Serene Ross was 10th, while freshman Cynthia Bortz finished in 17th place. Ross also took ninth in the javelin, while Long earned a 17th-place finish in the same event.

• The Boilermaker track and field team returns to action late next week with the Penn Relays on Thursday and Friday, and the Drake Relays and Boilermaker Open on Friday and Saturday.