Nov. 20, 2005
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The 14th-ranked Boilermakers finished second at the Purdue Invitational, scoring 675 points. The team received wins Sunday from senior Giordan Pogioli in the 100 breaststroke and Steven LoBue off the platform tower.
No. 7 Florida walked away with the team championship with 882.5 points, while Big Ten rival Northwestern placed third with 629 points. Rounding out the six-team field were Southern Illinois (466), Missouri (391.5) and Missouri State (364).
"Our guys had an outstanding meet today, their fires were lit," said head coach Dan Ross. "As part of our gameplan, we wanted to record our best performances this weekend and we more than accomplished that."
The Boilermakers and Wildcats were engaged in a seesaw battle early on, with Northwestern leading by as many as 12 points following the 100 freestyle.
Purdue cut that lead to two points after Pogioli and sophomore Jin-Soo Kim finished first and third in the 100 breast. Pogioli copped an NCAA provisional time of 1:56.59 and Kim touched the wall at 2:02.90.
The Boilermakers then took the lead for good after scoring four individuals in the 200 fly. Junior Blake Scholz led the scoring charge with his second-place time of 1:48.56, and Joe Colley placed seventh at 1:52.70. Craig Thompson and John Mullen scored in the consolation final.
Like their female counterparts, Purdue used its diving as insurance. Steve LoBue won the six-dive platform competition with a varsity record score of 414.25, beating runner-up Jonathan Wilcox of Florida by almost 80 points.
LoBue wowed the crowd at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center close to 90 points on his final dive off the 10-meter platform. The degree of difficulty for his dive was listed a 3.8.
Senior Josh Karshen was third off the tower with 320.50 points and JR Hillis was seventh with 244.35 points.
Not only was Ross impressed with his team's efforts, he was also pleased with the overall atmosphere of the three-day meet.
"As a fan, this was one of the best college swimming meets anyone could attend this early in the season," said Ross. "You had Olympian Ryan Lochte breaking the pool record with an `A' cut in the 200 back, Giordan posting a 1:56 in the 200 breast and Steve coming close to perfect on his last dive. It was an electric atmosphere."
Florida's Lochte, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist, won the 200 back in 1:40.73, which broke the pool record of 1:41.78 set by Michigan's Chris DeJong at the 2004 Big Ten Championships.
Purdue will have close to two months off from competition as it heads for Winter Break. The team next competes Jan. 6, 2006, when it ventures to Tempe for a two-day battle with Arizona State.