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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 3 81 BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com W hen Jaret Carpenter and Emma Benner sat down in the same row on a plane taking them for official visits to Purdue a year ago, they likely didn't know it'd be the start of a bond. But it was, not only a start to their friendship but to their early success for the Boilermakers. Although the Minnesotans didn't know each other before their flight, even though both were star distance runners in high school, they quickly found shared traits. They're talented athletes and competitors, overachievers and perfectionists, all characteristics that allowed them to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships as individuals in only their first sea- sons at Purdue. "I think they definitely share the grit of a tough Midwestern athlete who, if it's cold outside, they say, 'No, it's not, let's go race,' " distance coach Jeff Kent said. "They're just tough athletes and everything we could ever ask for." No doubt about that, considering their achievements in only a semes- ter as Boilermakers. FROM THE BACKGROUND At the Nike Nationals, an event that brings in the best high school runners from around the country, during Emma Benner's senior sea- son at Lake Forest High School, she finished in 28th place. Not bad, of course, but well behind some of the more notable runners na- tionally, like Stanford's Christina Ara- gon, then a highly regarded senior from Billings, Mont., who came in second place. Needless to say, it was quite the eye-opener when Benner beat Aragon earlier this season, and a sign that the Purdue rookie had made a wealth of improvement in less than a year. "It was awesome," said Benner, who was the 17th-best freshman at November's NCAA Championship in Terre Haute, "just beating everyone who destroyed me in high school was really cool." Benner's season beat everyone's expectations, hers included. When she arrived at Purdue, she was hoping for a spot among the top-seven Boilermakers, because Rise To The Top Purdue Athletics Minnesota natives Emma Benner and Jaret Carpenter have made huge impacts in their freshman seasons. Pair of freshmen leading Purdue distance runners