Jan. 16, 2010
The 19th-ranked Purdue men's swimming and diving team wrapped up competition in The Classic At SMU with two NCAA provisional-qualifying times while finishing sixth with 214 points Saturday in Dallas.
"This was a great experience," head coach Dan Ross said. "We had some great swims today. Aaron (Koger), Matt (Stewart) and Kyle (Mitrione) turned in some great performances to highlight the day."
Junior Matt Stewart, one day after just missing an NCAA provisional-qualifying time in the 400-yard IM, surpassed the provisional standard in the 500 freestyle. The Rochester, Minn., native cut more than four seconds off of his previous season-best time as he touched the wall in 4 minutes, 25.97 seconds and finished third in the championship heat. Stewart, who also finished third in his heat and ninth overall with a season-best time of 1:49.61 in the 200 backstroke, came into the meet already provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 1,650 freestyle.
In the very next event, senior Aaron Koger provided another NCAA provisional-qualifying time. The Richmond, Ind., native finished second in the 200 breaststroke with his 1:59.04 clocking and added his name to the list of qualifiers in another event after lowering his provisional-qualifying time in the 100 breaststroke last weekend.
Senior Sam Wilcher joined Stewart in the 500 freestyle and also earned a season-best time. The Arlington Heights, Ill., native tied for 10th in the event after touching the wall in 4:35.26. Wilcher also finished fifth in the 200 butterfly when he finished the race in 1:50.28. Sophomore Brendan Joyce knocked almost three full seconds off of his previous season-best time in the 200 butterfly with a 1:51.66 clocking.
Senior Andre Koop shaved more than two seconds off of his previous season-best time as he completed the race in 1:49.33 while finishing sixth in the 200 backstroke. He also earned a season-best clocking in the 200 IM when he touched the wall 1:52.80 and finished sixth. Sophomore Albert Miller finished 11th in the 200 breaststroke with a season-best clocking of 2:05.15 and placed 12th in the 200 IM with his 1:56.58 time.
Senior Kyle Mitrione followed his third-place finish from the 1-meter on Friday night with a runner-up showing in the 3-meter on Saturday. The Haddonfield, N.J., native put 322.30 points on the board during his six-dive list to finish second.
Sophomore Ben Wachtel placed fifth in the 100 freestyle after finishing the race in 45.66. Freshman Chuck Destro recorded the 12th-fastest time in that race by stopping the clock in 47.04. Wachtel, Destro, Joyce and Miller combined to finish the 200 freestyle relay in 1:23.33 and place sixth.
No. 7 Michigan won the team competition with 307.5 points. Mecklenburg Elite, featuring Cullen Jones from the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, finished second with 289 points. Host Southern Methodist scored 287.5 points for third place, and sixth-ranked Florida placed fourth with 286 points. No. 13 Southern California was fifth after scoring 260 points.
The Boilermakers are set to return to competition Jan. 29-30 at the Big Ten Quad in Madison, Wis.