Boilers prepare for Big Ten play

By Greg Doddridge
Staff Writer

After defeating Indiana State on Friday, 163-137, and keeping the Edmonds' Trophy for the sixth consecutive year, the Purdue track teams are now focusing on Big Ten competition, as the conference championships begin in four weeks.

"The kids get up to beat Indiana State and every once in a while you need a meet like that to get the competitive fires going," said Purdue assistant men's coach Dave Kaiser.

Kaiser said that is the competitiveness the team will need at the Big Ten meets, which start next week. From women's coach Ben Paolillo's perspective, these challenges are to get the teams ready for the Big Ten championships.

"You have to be put in tough situations all the time to test yourself in order to see what type of competitor you are and what type of mental toughness you can develop," Paolillo said. "This is still Indiana State. It's not Michigan next week or it's not Illinois in three weeks coming here. So they have to keep challenging themselves and we keep trying to put them in challenging positions."

Indiana State put up several challenges Friday. The Sycamore women won six of the 14 events, led by All-American Angie Bruecker's win in the 800 meters. Beth Hilton bettered Purdue's Serene Ross in the 20-pound weight throw as Amanda Bright took the shot put. Also, the Indiana State 1600 relay team beat the Boilers.

However, Indiana State women's coach John Gartland said, "I think that Purdue totally outclassed us. This is an excellent, excellent Purdue women's team. My guess is they're going to be able to contend for a Big Ten title. They've got talented athletes and they've got depth."

Although she was runner-up in the weight throw, Ross did provisionally qualify for the NCAA's with a toss of 58-11 1/4.

Teammate Amy Spellmeyer provisionally qualified in the pole vault with a winning height of 12-7 1/2. Angela Craft won the 200 and Tina Johnson broke her own meet record in the long jump, winning with a jump of 19-5 1/2. In the triple jump, Janelle Johnson won at 37-11 1/2.

Teresa Kamleiter won the mile in 5:03.45 while Nicole Nigh took the 3,000 in 10:14.03, just 1/100 of a second faster than teammate Barbara Wenger.

Krissy Liphardt finished first in both her events — the 60 hurdles and the 400. Her time of 8.47 (4/100 of a second off the provisional qualification time) in the hurdles broke the Purdue record of 8.58, which she previously held. She is now down .15 seconds from her time of 8.62 at the Purdue Open on Jan. 12.

"My goal was to break that (record) this year and start off the season with a really good time instead of waiting until the end," said Liphardt.

Her two races were 10 minutes apart and she said she was not really prepared for the 400.

However, Paolillo said, "The objective today was to win the team dual and so that's why we did that with her."

The Purdue men also won their team competition with Indiana State, led by dual event winners Jacques Reeves and Chris Brown.

Brown's winning throw of 66-5 1/4 was a new Lambert Fieldhouse and meet record. He also provisionally qualified in the shot put. Reeves, a cornerback on Purdue's football team, took the 60 and ran a 21.76 in the 200, setting a new meet record. He said he is still transitioning from running 20 to 30 yards in football to running full speed in the 60- and 200-meter dashes.

"I have to get my wind back; the last 50 I was kind of out of breath," said Reeves.

He said he wants to lower his 200 time to less than 21 seconds. Shaun Guice jumped 7-2 1/2 to win the high jump while Jeff Gilbert's vault of 16-0 3/4 won him the pole vault. Amukela Gwebu won the triple jump at 47-5 1/4 and Donnie Fellows ran an 8:29.32 in the 3000, overtaking Indiana State's Jason Petipren on the final lap in his first intercollegiate victory at Lambert this year.

For Indiana State, Terald Blakey beat Purdue's Markus Williams by 3/100 of a second in the 400.

"Williams is a great runner. I knew that was going to be a hard fought battle," said Indiana State's men's coach John McNichols. Aubrey Herring won the 60 hurdles, George Tinnin picked-up a first in the long jump, the 4x400 relay team won, Jason Briggs took the 800 and Mark Rode won the mile.

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