Nov. 2, 2012
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- In a pair of dual meets that weren't decided until the end of the night, the Purdue women's swimming and diving team won the final event, the 400 free relay, to earn a split for the Boilermakers Friday evening at Notre Dame.The No. 24 Purdue women overcame a five-point deficit entering the 400 free relay, winning the dual against the No. 18 Fighting Irish, 152-148. The No. 18 Purdue men came up on the short end of a 156-144 final score. The women defeated UND in dual meet action for the fourth consecutive season, but the men saw their five-year win streak in the annual dual meet series snapped.
"It seems like every year our meet with Notre Dame comes down to the last relay," Purdue women's coach John Klinge said. "They have a quality team and coaching staff, and it's always a tough meet. It was a great experience for our swimmers and divers to learn to perform under pressure. There were some great races and some things we need to focus on to get better."
"It was a very close meet tonight," Purdue men's coach Dan Ross said. "We won nine of the 16 events but we also got swept in two events. We just didn't have enough to overcome that even though we battled back from an early 24-point deficit."
Carly Mercer and Allie Davis led the way for the Purdue women, teaming up to give the Boilers a sweep of the freestyle events. Mercer won the 50, 100 and 200 free and swam the leadoff leg on the victorious 400 free relay team. Davis touched first in the 500 and 1000 free.
Danny Tucker and Brian Kiel each captured a pair of events and swam on the 400 free relay winner for the Purdue men. Tucker swept the freestyle sprints for the third time this season. Kiel touched first in the backstroke events. Both juniors were part of the Boilers' top foursomes in the 200 medley and 400 free relays.
Lauren Gustafson tied Mercer for the top spot in the 50 free and swam on both relay winners for Purdue. Rhiannon Sheets placed second in the 200 butterfly and was also part of both relay winners.
Danny Conway, Chuck Destro and Alec LaMothe each won an individual event and finished second in another for the men. Conway won the 400 IM and placed second in the 200 fly. Destro was second among the Boilers' top four finishers in the 50 free and later won the 100 fly. LaMothe won the 1000 free and took second in the 500.
Maddie Miskulin won the 3-meter diving, another result that helped the Boilers win the tight dual meet finish. Francesca Marr placed second in both the 200 breast and 400 IM. Alex Todd was honored as the Boilermaker Award winner thanks in part to a runner-up showing in the 100 fly. Amy Katz was second in the 100 back and swam the leadoff leg on the victorious 400 medley relay team.
Jamie Bissett was also a winner for the men in 3-meter diving.
The Boilermakers conclude their weekend road trip Saturday at Northwestern. The double dual meet is slated to get underway at 2 p.m. ET.
Team Scores
Men: Notre Dame 156, #18 Purdue 144
Women: #24 Purdue 152, #18 Notre Dame 148
Purdue Winners & Notables
* -- Purdue Season-Best Time/Score
Men
50 Free
Danny Tucker, 20.23* (Purdue had top four finishers: Tucker, Destro, Ziolkowski & Friede)
100 Free
Danny Tucker, 45.25
500 Free
Alec LaMothe, 4:35.46* (Finished 2nd)
1000 Free
Alec LaMothe, 9:24.81* (LaMothe & Jan Petric finished 1-2)
100 Back
Brian Kiel, 50.18
200 Back
Brian Kiel, 1:47.44*
100 Fly
Chuck Destro, 49.59*
200 Fly
Danny Conway, 1:50.87* (Finished 2nd)
400 IM
Danny Conway, 4:01.17
400 Free Relay
Friede, Destro, Kiel & Tucker, 3:00.08
200 Medley Relay
Kiel, Dias, Destro & Tucker, 1:31.66* (Finished 2nd)
1-Meter Diving
Nate Cox, 333.90 (Finished 2nd)
3-Meter Diving
Jamie Bissett, 369.22
Women
50 Free
Lauren Gustafson & Carly Mercer, 23.48 (First-Place Tie)
100 Free
Carly Mercer, 50.14*
200 Free
Carly Mercer, 1:49.61*
500 Free
Allie Davis, 4:57.51* (Purdue had top 3 finishers: Davis, Petric & Gallagher)
1000 Free
Allie Davis, 10:07.33* (Davis & Caitlin Hamilton finished 1-2)
100 Back
Amy Katz, 57.39 (Finished 2nd)
200 Back
Colleen Drew, 2:04.85* (Finished 2nd)
100 Breast
Emily Fogle, 1:01.76* (Finished 2nd)
200 Breast
Francesca Marr, 2:16.66* (Finished 2nd)
100 Fly
Alex Todd, 55.78* (Finished 2nd)
200 Fly
Rhiannon Sheets, 2:02.20* (Finished 2nd)
400 IM
Francesca Marr, 4:28.10 (Finished 2nd)
400 Free Relay
Mercer, Nichols, Sheets & Gustafson, 3:23.30*
400 Medley Relay
Katz, Fogle, Sheets & Gustafson, 3:45.22
3-Meter Diving
Maddie Miskulin, 321.68* (Finished 2nd)