The Tribune

WOMEN’s world indoor 60 metres champion and record holder Devynne Charlton will be among a list of persons inducted into the Purdue University 2024 Hall of Fame Class of inductees this weekend in West Lafayette.

A total ofa eight Boilermaker greats will be inducted and honoured during the Purdue-Oregon football game on Friday, according to Purdue Athletics. They will be enshrined in the Leroy Keyes Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame for their accomplishments spanning from the 1970s to 2018.

Charlton, honoured for women’s track and field from 2013-2018, was listed with two others as the most decorated Boilermakers in school history.

She will be joined by Chukwuebuka Enekwechi (men’s track & field, 2013-16) and Annie Drews (volleyball, 2012-15) for showcasing their talents on the world stage.

Charlton, hurdling for her native Bahamas, earned nine All-America finishes as a Boiler, which included two NCAA runner-up performances. 

Enekwechi, representing Nigeria internationally, totalled an outstanding 13 All-America honours and five NCAA medal finishes in throwing events for Purdue. 

Drews has starred for Team USA on the volleyball court after twice receiving AVCA All-America status for the Old Gold and Black.

“This year’s class of inductees to the Leroy Keyes Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame is distinguished by their outstanding accomplishments in Purdue Athletics history, with a uniquely Olympic theme,” said executive vice president and director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Bobinski. “Three of these Boilermaker greats are currently competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics. We are immensely proud that Devynne Charlton, Annie Drews and Chukwuebuka Enekwechi are representing their home countries, as well as Purdue, in Paris this summer. Two basketball greats, Bob Ford and Katie Gearlds.

Just Monday, Charlton received the Order of Merit (Member) award during the National Honors awards day at Baha Mar Resort by Governor General Cynthi ‘Mother’ Pratt.

And on Saturday, her alma mater, St Augustine’s College, will present her with a Lighthouse Award for her accomplishments in sports at Atlantis Resort on Paradise Iwland.

Devynne Charlton (Women’s Track & Field, 2013-18)

• Five-year letterwinner, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, as a sprinter/hurdler for Purdue Women’s Track & Field

• Won 11 Big Ten Conference individual championships while leading the Boilermakers to the 2017 Big Ten Outdoor Championships team title

• Earned seven First Team All-America honors and a pair of Second Team honors

• NCAA Championships runner-up in the 60-meter hurdles (indoor, 2017) and the 100-meter hurdles (outdoor, 2018)

• Named 2017 Purdue Athletics Female Athlete of the Year after winning five Big Ten individual titles and clinching three top eight finishes at the NCAA Championships

• Three-time Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year honoree and four-time Big Ten Track Athlete of the Championships winner

• Still holds school records in the 100-meters, 100-meter hurdles, 60-meters and 60-meter hurdles

• Since graduation, has continued competing on the world stage with great distinction for her native Bahamas

• Set the world record in 60-meter hurdles, clocking 7.65 at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships to win the gold medal

• Won silver at the 2022 Indoor World Championships in the 60-meter hurdles and finished fourth at the 2023 Outdoor World Championships in the 100-meter hurdles

• Five-time Bahamian national champion; national record holder in the 60-meter hurdles and 100-meter hurdles

• Placed sixth overall in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

• 2024 Paris Olympics representative for the Bahamas, competing in the 100-meter hurdles.