Jan. 30, 2009
The Purdue men's and women's swimming and diving teams wrapped up the first day of Big Ten Duals competition Friday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, Minn.
"We had an OK night," men's head coach Dan Ross said. "Matt Stewart was great tonight back in his home state. Others had a great night, while some had a poor one. We are fortunate to be ahead of Wisconsin as they swam well. I expect our guys will come out very aggressively tomorrow."
Stewart, a Rochester, Minn., native, finished second in the 500 freestyle with his season-best time of 4:30.89. Fellow sophomore Drew Wolfred also swam to a season-best time, touching the wall in 4:32.68 for fifth. Team captain John Schmitt just missed a season-best time with his second-place, 44.74 finish in the 100 freestyle, while freshman Daniel Jung did swim his fastest time this season and finished fifth in 45.64. Senior Andrew Langenfeld touched the wall in a season-best time of 1:49.11 while finishing second in the 200 butterfly.
The men's team was provided with another strong effort from its divers as the Boilermakers swept the top-three finishes in both springboard events. Freshman David Boudia won his 14th and 15th consecutive diving competitions by scoring 420.50 points off the 3-meter board and 357.95 in the 1-meter competition. Sophomore David Colturi finished second off the 1-meter springboard and was followed by junior Kyle Mitrione in third. Sophomore J.P. Perez claimed the runner-up spot in the 3-meter competition with an NCAA-qualifying score of 365.30, while Colturi finished third with 341.00 points.
The men's 200 freestyle relay team of Gage Barry, Tim Watts, Jimmy Brooks and Ben Wachtel finished second in 1:21.81, the second-fastest Purdue time this season. The 400 medley relay team, consisting of Chris Pfaff, Albert Miller, Sam Wilcher and Jung, finished second in 3:19.87, which also is the second-fastest effort by the Boilermakers this season.
Junior Aaron Koger swam to a runner-up finish with his 55.74 time in the 100 breaststroke, while Miller finished fourth and junior Nathan Taylor earned a season-best time. Junior Andre Koop finished third in the 200 backstroke in 1:51.62 and was Purdue's top male in the 200 IM with his seventh-place, 1:54.36 finish. Watts swam a season-best time of 1:52.96 while finishing fifth in the 200 backstroke.
The women's team grabbed the top-three finishes off both springboards. Freshman Casey Matthews won the 3-meter event with her score of 310.65. Senior Emily Wetzel was second with 270.40, while sophomore Kara Cook scored 265.35 and placed third. Junior Ashley Karnes topped the 1-meter field with her score of 294.65, while Matthews finished second with 281.30. Wetzel's 279.45 points were good for third, and Cook scored 253.90 to place fifth.
The women's 200 freestyle relay team of Ariel Martin, Lisa Butler, Katie Beck and Leah Henninger finished third in 1:34.60, which is the second-fastest time for the Boilermakers this season. The 400 medley relay team of Allie Smith, Jessica Davis, Beck and Henninger placed sixth with a time of 3:52.89 that also ranks as the second-fastest effort on the team this season.
Smith finished fourth in the 200 IM after touching the wall in a season-best time of 2:06.41 and fourth in the 200 backstroke in 2:02.70. Freshman Lauren Roth was the first non-Minnesota swimmer to finish the 500 freestyle, touching the wall in 4:57.04 for fifth place, while fellow freshman Amy Gutwein and senior Elyse Dudar earned season-best times in the race.
"We had some solid swims today," women's head coach John Klinge said. "But, we need to come back tomorrow and swim more consistently."
The Boilermakers conclude competition in Minneapolis Saturday, with the 200 medley relay kicking off the festivities at 1 p.m. ET. Live results can be found at purduesports.com.