2009 Purdue Track & Field
NCAA Championship
Media Notes
6 Qualifiers
4 Men, 2 Women
2009 Boilermaker Track & Field
Purdue NCAA Preview
The Purdue men’s and women’s track and field teams head to the University of Arkansas this week
for the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Boilermakers have six qualifiers in tow, taking four male
athletes and a pair of females to compete in the national field.
Senior Kara Patterson headlines the Boilermakers’ NCAA roster, carrying the No. 1 mark in the nation
in the women’s javelin this season into competition. Fresh off her fourth career NCAA Mideast Regional
title, she led the nation all season with her opening mark of 58.41 meters (191-08) at the Arizona State
Invitational, but bettered that throw at the regional championship, tossing it 58.56 meters (192-01). What
makes Patterson’s season accomplishments more impressive is the fact that she’s yet to throw from a
full approach this year. Patterson starts her pursuit of a national title on Wednesday, competing in the
preliminaries at 5:30 p.m., and looking to qualify for Friday’s finals, also at 5:30 p.m.
Her junior teammate Stacey Wannemacher is set for her third straight NCAA Outdoor Championship
appearance in the women’s shot put, entering this year’s meet with the nation’s 13th-best throw. Wannemacher
broke her own Purdue outdoor record in the event twice this season, extending the mark to 16.25 meters
(53-03.75) at the Georgia Spec Towns National Team Invitational on April 11, and topping out at 16.35 meters
(53-07.75) at the Big Ten Championships on May 16. She’ll look to make her first NCAA Championship finals
on Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. in the preliminaries. The women’s shot put finals are scheduled for Thursday at
4:45 p.m.
All four of the Purdue men’s qualifiers are headed back to the national championships as junior Eric
Sparks is headed to his third straight NCAA event, while senior Ben Harpenau, junior Adetayo Adesanya
and sophomore Josh Hembrough all have advanced for the second consecutive time. Sparks is tied for the
No. 11 mark in the men’s pole vault this season, clearing a season-best 5.36 meters (17-07.00) to win his
first career NCAA Mideast Regional Championship. He won his second consecutive Big Ten Championship
on May 17, soaring over 5.32 meters (17-05.50) on his first attempt, and has his eyes set on his first NCAA
Championship finals appearance. The pole vault preliminaries are scheduled for Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.,
with the finals following Friday at 3:45 p.m.
Harpenau looks to cap his Boilermaker career in grand fashion, winning his first Big Ten title this season
and earning his first automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championships with a third-place regional showing in
the hammer throw. He has set personal records in his last two outings, extending his best to 64.35 meters
(211-01) in Columbus, Ohio on May 15, and bumping it up to 64.52 meters (211-08) in Louisville on May
29. Harpenau kicks off the Boilermakers’ NCAA competition on Wednesday, throwing in the preliminaries at
10:30 a.m. A throw in the top-12 of the prelims would advance Harpenau to the finals, scheduled for Friday
at 1 p.m.
Adesanya needed an at-large bid in the men’s high jump to qualify for the national championships, but
his top mark of 2.16 meters (7-01.00) carried him safely to Fayetteville. He cleared his career-best mark for
the first time to earn the bronze medal at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, and soared over it again to
place sixth at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships and remain eligible for the NCAA meet. Adesanya
is scheduled to compete in the preliminaries Wednesday at 8 p.m., and hopes to continue in the finals on
Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Hembrough continues to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the second straight year, in search
of his second straight All-America award. He earned NCAA Indoor All-America honors in March after an
eighth-place showing in the 60-meter hurdles, and has followed up outdoors with his second straight Big Ten
110-meter hurdles championship and an automatic qualifier at the Mideast regional. His top time of 13.87 is
only 22nd in the national field, but his career-best time of 13.58 would move him all the way to eighth. The
110-meter hurdle preliminaries are scheduled for Thursday at 5:50 p.m., with the semifinals set for Friday at
7:05 p.m., and the finals at 12:59 p.m. on Saturday.
2009 Boilermaker Track & Field
Adetayo Adesanya
Junior
Naperville, Ill.
Naperville North High School
High Jump
Season Results
Date
5/29
5/16
5/2
4/24
4/18
4/11
4/4
3/28
Meet
NCAA Mideast Regional Championships
Big Ten Championships
Jesse Owens Track Classic
Penn Relays
Dave Rankin Invitational
Georgia Spec Towns Invitational
Mike Poehlein Invitational
Arizona State Invitational
Location
Louisville
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Penn
Purdue
Georgia
Purdue
Arizona St.
Mark
2.16m/7-01.00
2.16m/7-01.00
2.10m/6-10.75
2.12m/6-11.50
2.15m/7-00.50
2.10m/6-10.75
2.15m/7-00.50
2.10m/6-10.75
Final National Ranking: T-16th
• Placed sixth at the 2009 NCAA Mideast Regional Championships, matching his career-best mark and
earning an at-large bid to the national meet.
• Earned the bronze medal at the 2009 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, clearing a career-best.
• Grabbed fourth place at this year’s Big Ten Indoor Championships, scoring in his fourth straight conference
championship meet.
• Qualified for the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships, taking fourth at the Mideast Regional to earn and
automatic bid to nationals.
• Won the 2008 Big Ten Indoor crown, earning First Team All-Big Ten honors.
• Took second at the 2008 outdoor conference meet.
• Won the Undergraduate Student Technical Research (USTR) competition at the National Society for
Black Engineers (NSBE) convention, preparing a presentation on wireless sensor node development.
2009 Boilermaker Track & Field
Ben Harpenau
RS Senior
Tell City, Ind.
Tell City High School
Hammer Throw
Season Results
Date
5/30
5/15
5/1
4/25
4/17
4/10
4/3
3/27
Meet
NCAA Mideast Regional Championships
Big Ten Championships
Jesse Owens Track Classic
Penn Relays
Dave Rankin Invitational
Georgia Spec Towns Invitational
Mike Poehlein Invitational
Arizona State Invitational
Location
Louisville
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Penn
Purdue
Georgia
Purdue
Arizona St.
Mark
64.52m/211-08
64.35m/211-01
63.37m/207-11
63.18m/207-03
63.47m/208-03
63.42m/208-01
64.07m/210-02
63.95m/209-10
Final National Ranking: 20th
• Placed third at the 2009 NCAA Mideast Regional, hurling a career-best and earning an automatic bid to
the national championships.
• Won the 2009 Big Ten Outdoor Championship, earning his first career Big Ten title and scoring in his
third consecutive conference meet.
• Has thrown over 63 meters in all eight competitions this season.
• Secured an at-large bid to the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships on the strength of his season-best
mark after placing 12th at the regional meet.
• Earned second in the hammer throw at the 2008 outdoor conference meet.
• Ranks fourth all-time at Purdue in the hammer throw.
2009 Boilermaker Track & Field
Josh Hembrough
Sophomore
Grand Rapids, Mich.
Forest Hills Northern High School
110-Meter Hurdles
Season Results
Date
5/30
5/29
5/17
5/16
5/2
4/24
4/18
4/11
4/4
Meet
NCAA Mideast Regional Championships
Location
Louisville
Big Ten Championships
Ohio St.
Jesse Owens Track Classic
Penn Relays
Dave Rankin Invitational
Georgia Spec Towns Invitational
Mike Poehlein Invitational
Ohio St.
Penn
Purdue
Georgia
Purdue
Mark
13.92 (finals)
13.90 (prelims)
13.97 (finals)
14.24 (prelims)
13.96
14.14
13.87
14.03
13.95
Final National Ranking: 22nd
• Secured his second consecutive automatic NCAA Outdoor Championship bid with a fourth-place effort
at the 2009 NCAA Mideast Regional.
• Won his second straight, and third career Big Ten Championship at the 2009 outdoor conference meet.
• Named an 2009 NCAA Indoor All-American, placing eighth at the national meet in the 60-meter hurdles
in January.
• Named the 2008 Big Ten Indoor Freshman of the Year.
• Sits second all-time at Purdue in the 110-meter hurdles (13.58w), and tied for third in the 60-meter
hurdles (7.79).
2009 Boilermaker Track & Field
Eric Sparks
RS Junior
Hermitage, Pa.
Hickory High School
Pole Vault
Season Results
Date
5/29
5/16
5/2
4/24
4/18
4/11
4/4
3/28
Meet
NCAA Mideast Regional Championships
Big Ten Championships
Jesse Owens Track Classic
Stan Lyons Invitational
Dave Rankin Invitational
Georgia Spec Towns Invitational
Mike Poehlein Invitational
Arizona State Invitational
Location
Louisville
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Butler
Purdue
Georgia
Purdue
Arizona St.
Mark
5.36m/17-07.00
5.32m/17-05.50
5.20m/17-00.75
5.20m/17-00.75
5.35m/17-06.50
5.30m/17-04.50
5.20m/17-00.75
5.05m/16-06.75
Final National Ranking: T-11th
• Won the 2009 NCAA Mideast Regional with a season-best mark, earning an automatic bid to the national
championships for the third straight season.
• Captured his second straight Big Ten Outdoor Championship this season, leading a 1-2 finish for the
Boilermakers and 22-point team effort in the pole vault (1st, 2nd & 5th).
• Took second at the 2008 Mideast Regional, clearing a career-best 5.41 meters (17-09.00).
• Six-time Big Ten placewinner.
• Two-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree, one-time Second Team All-Big Ten award winner.
• Academic All-Big Ten.
2009 Boilermaker Track & Field
Kara Patterson
RS Senior
LaCenter, Wash.
Skyview High School
Javelin
Season Results
Date
5/30
5/16
4/25
4/11
3/28
Meet
NCAA Mideast Regional Championships
Big Ten Championships
Drake Relays
Georgia Spec Towns Invitational
Arizona State Invitational
Location
Louisville
Ohio St.
Drake
Georgia
Arizona St.
Mark
58.56m/192-01
57.47m/188-06
54.18m/177-09
52.40m/171-11
58.41m/191-08
Final National Ranking: 1st
• Owns the nation’s No. 1 mark in the javelin heading to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, hurling a
season-best at the Mideast Regionals.
• Four-time NCAA Mideast Regional Champion.
• 2008 Olympic qualifier (U.S.A.)
• 2008 U.S.A. Olympic Trials Champion, set meet record at 58.44 meters (191-09).
• 2009 World Championships “A” standard qualifier.
• 2008 NCAA All-American.
• 2008 & 2009 Big Ten Women’s Field Athlete of the Year.
• Three-time Big Ten Champion (2005, 2008, 2009).
• Became second American woman to ever surpass 200-feet in 2008, throwing an American Collegiate,
Big Ten and Purdue record with a mark of 61.56 meters (202-00).
• 2008 USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year.
• 2005 Pan American Games and U.S. Outdoor Championship silver medalist.
2009 Boilermaker Track & Field
Stacey Wannemacher
Junior
Ottoville, Ohio
Ottoville High School
Shot Put
Season Results
Date
5/30
5/16
5/8
5/2
4/11
4/4
3/28
Meet
NCAA Mideast Regional Championships
Big Ten Championships
Billy Hayes Invitational
Jesse Owens Track Classic
Georgia Spec Towns Invitational
Mike Poehlein Invitational
Arizona State Invitational
Location
Louisville
Ohio St.
Indiana
Ohio St.
Georgia
Purdue
Arizona St.
Mark
15.94m/52-03.75
16.35m/53-07.75
15.00m/49-02.50
16.18m/53-01.00
16.25m/53-03.75
15.50m/50-10.25
15.64m/51-03.75
Final National Ranking: 13th
• Picked up an at-large bid to the NCAA Outdoor Championships with an eighth-place effort at the Mideast
Regional, marking her third straight trip to the national outdoor championships.
• Three-time Big Ten placewinner in the shot put, taking the silver medal in 2009.
• Scored 19 team points at the 2009 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, winning her first conference title in
the hammer throw, taking second in the shot put and eighth in the discus.
• Set the Boilermakers’ outdoor record twice this season, topping out with her career-best at the conference
meet.
• Owns the Purdue indoor shot put record as well, marking 15.81 meters (51-10.50) in 2008.