February 20, 2008
Olympic & Amateur Sports: David Woods
Boilermakers' freshman runners pick up speed quickly
February 20, 2008
Must be Year of the Freshman at Purdue.
Not just in basketball, either.
In Josh Hembrough and Shane Crawford, the Boilermakers have two of the premier freshmen in indoor track and field.
Hembrough, Grand Rapids, Mich., is the fastest freshman in the NCAA in the 60-meter hurdles and 10th overall. Crawford, last year's state sprint champion from Winamac, is the fourth-fastest frosh in the 60-meter dash.
Coincidentally, they were born one day apart in June 1988.
"Sometimes I have to pinch myself to see if these kids are really for real," Purdue coach Jack Warner said. "They're really dedicated to being the best they can be."
Hembrough is deaf. He has an implant enabling him to pick up vibrations, so he can react to the starting gun. Purdue has a program for students with hearing impairments. That, and the Boilermakers' recent run of hurdlers, influenced him to come to West Lafayette.
The 6-5 Hembrough twice set national indoor records last year over 42-inch hurdles, compared with 39-inch high school barriers. Warner said high school hurdles were actually too short for Hembrough, preventing him from reaching optimum form.
Warner said Crawford "hasn't even touched the tip of what he can do yet." The sprinter's best time is 6.70 seconds, tying the school record, and 6.66 likely will be needed for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
"He's always in the mix," Warner said. "When he's racing head-to-head, he's always right there."
Crawford developed a leg cramp in a meet at Iowa State last week but is expected to be ready for the Big Ten Indoor Championships on March 1-2 at Wisconsin. For the outdoor season, his aim is to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials.