March 18, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's swimming and diving team qualified two athletes to finals during the first session of the NCAA Championships on Thursday afternoon.
Purdue is set to score points in the 1-meter springboard event. Junior Erin Mertz finished eighth in the preliminary with 300.45 points to set herself up for All-America honors for the second straight year. Sophomore Casey Matthews posted the ninth-highest score with her 300.05-point total to qualify for the consolation final and guarantee points for the second straight season.
The Boilermakers' first appearance in the pool featured two swimmers in the 500-yard freestyle. Freshman Caitlin Hamilton swam a time of 4 minutes, 44.14 seconds to record the 23rd-fastest clocking in the preliminary session. Sophomore Lauren Roth touched the wall in 4:45.98 and placed 39th. Both swimmers bettered their morning swims from the Big Ten Championships.
Purdue also had two swimmers entered in the 50 freestyle. Junior Ariel Martin, the program record holder in the event, posted the 38th-fastest time by completing her sprint in 22.8. Classmate Lisa Butler completed the race in 23.21 to placed 54th in the preliminary session.
Thursday's evening session, which features finals in six events, begins at 7 p.m. ET. The 1-meter diving competition is the fifth event on the program. Live video and live results can be found at purduesports.com.