Track teams prepare for meets

Women host meet Saturday; men travel for relays

By Greg Doddridge
Staff Writer

The Purdue women's track team is back home this weekend while the men continue their travels on the road.

The women host the Boilermaker Open at 3 this afternoon and at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Rankin Track Stadium. The men will split this weekend with one group heading to Des Moines, Iowa, for the Drake Relays and the other group heading to Philadelphia for the Penn Relays.

Men's assistant coach Lissa Olson said the Penn Relays get people ready for the national championships. There will be approximately 50,000 people watching those relays and Olympic superstars Marion Jones and Michael Johnson will compete. ESPN will be covering the relays.

"Everyone we have expected to perform at a high level has done well," said Olson. "All the athletes we have taken to big meets have risen to the level of competition at those meets."

She said the team should be successful at the Big Ten championships.

The men's team has been to the Texas and Mount Sac relays, where the competition has consisted of the best collegiate track athletes and a few competitors with previous Olympic experience.

The men's 1,600-relay team is trying to break the 1984 school record of 3:08.13 this weekend at the Penn Relays. The relay team has run a time of 3:09.59 this season. Olson said she thinks that record may fall this weekend.

While the men are away this weekend, the women are in West Lafayette.

"We are staying home this weekend to give athletes a chance to worry about finals at home and to give them a chance to run on their home track," said women's coach Ben Paolillo.

He said the women's team has been progressing.

Paolillo said the Mount Sac Relays last weekend were a good test for the women. "I'm pleased with where we are right now. We know athletes who will be solid for us; we are looking for new folks for bonus points."

He said the team is finding depth in all areas and that quality depth is the key to success in track. The team has to be able to score in a lot of events, said Paolillo.

"Some Big Ten teams have a few solid athletes who might do well as individuals at a national competition," said Paolillo. "But to win a team Big Ten championship requires depth and that is our focus."

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