Feb. 22, 2013
Results: Prelims | Finals | Dive-by-Dive Scoring >>> Championships Central
MINNEAPOLIS -- Highlighted by a runner-up finish and new program-record score by Casey Matthews in the 3-meter diving competition, three members of Purdue women's swimming and diving qualified for the championship finals of events on day three of the Big Ten Championships.Alex Todd (100 butterfly, 53.81) and Rhiannon Sheets (200 freestyle, 1:45.97) both recorded the second fastest times in program history in their respective events. Todd finished only one hundredth of a second shy of Sheets' 100 fly benchmark from a year ago while qualifying for the B Final in the morning prelims. Meanwhile, Sheets became only the second Boiler in program history to post a sub 1:46.00 time in the 200 free.
After MacKenzie Tweardy was the runner up in the 1-meter diving Thursday, Matthews (388.50) gave the Purdue divers another second-place showing in Friday's 3-meter competition. The redshirt-junior eclipsed Erin Mertz's program-record score from 2011 by .15 tenths of a point. Matthews qualified for the championship final of both springboard events at Big Tens this week in her first appearance at the conference championships meet since 2010.
All four Purdue divers competing this week scored team points again, accounting for 40 points Friday. Michelle Cabassol was fifth in the championship final, Maddie Miskulin runner up in the consolation final and Tweardy seventh in the consolation final.
Sheets qualified for the A final of the 200 free after having the fourth fastest time in the morning prelims. In the evening finals, she swam in both the 100 fly and 200 free in a short time frame as back-to-back events, dropping to eighth in the A final of the 200 free.
With Allie Davis and Carly Mercer qualifying for the B final of the 200 free, Purdue did have three competitors score team points in the event.
Kylie Vogel won the C final of the 100 fly to begin that event on a high note for Purdue in the evening finals.
The Big Ten Championships conclude Sunday. The Boilermakers will enter the day in fifth place, 24.5 points behind fourth-place Ohio State and 17.5 points ahead of sixth-place Michigan.
Purdue Notables
* -- New Purdue Season-Best Time
^ -- New Personal Season-Best Time
(B) -- NCAA Provisional Qualifying Time
(Z) -- NCAA Zone Qualifying Score
3-Meter Diving
Casey Matthews, 388.50* (Z) - Finished 2nd in Championship Final (17 Points)
NEW PROGRAM RECORD
Michelle Cabassol, 346.35 (Z) - Finished 5th in Championship Final (14 Points)
Maddie Miskulin, 346.55^ (Z) - Finished 2nd in Consolation Final (7 Points)
MacKenzie Tweardy, 313.65^ (Z, Prelim Score) - Finished 7th in Consolation Final (2 Points)
200 Free
Rhiannon Sheets, 1:45.97* (B, Prelim Time) - Finished 8th in A Final (11 Points)
Second Fastest Time in Program History
Carly Mercer, 1:47.37^ (B, Prelim Time) - Finished 4th in B Final (5 Points)
Allie Davis, 1:47.82^ (B) - Finished 3rd in B Final (6 Points)
Nika Carlina Petric, 1:48.92^ -- Finished 5th in C Final
100 Fly
Alex Todd, 53.81* (Prelim Time) - Finished 5th in B Final (4 Points)
Second Fastest Time in Program History
Rhiannon Sheets, 54.00^ (Prelim Time) - Finished 4th in B Final (5 Points)
Kylie Vogel, 54.61^ (Prelim Time) - Won C Final
Sarah Boylen, 54.99^ (Prelim Time) - Finished 8th in C Final
100 Breast
Missy Robinson, 1:02.40^ (Prelim Time) - Finished 6th in B Final (3 Points)
Ellesse Lunde, 1:03.27^ (Prelim Time) - Finished 7th in C Final
400 IM
Lizzy Lyon, 4:19.76* - Finished 3rd in C Final
Megan Gallagher, 4:20.10^ - Finished 5th in C Final
100 Back
Brittany Fozkos, 55.56^ (Prelim Time) - Finished 8th in C Final
Jacie Beagle, 55.57 (Prelim Time) - Finished 6th in C Final
400 Medley Relay
Fozkos, Robinson, Todd & Gustafson, 3:41.38* - Finished 8th (22 Points)
Team Scores Through Friday
1. #12 Minnesota, 573.5
2. #13 Indiana, 422.5
3. #24 Penn State, 342.5
4. #20 Ohio State, 263
5. Purdue, 238.5
6. #21 Michigan, 221
7. #17 Wisconsin, 195
8. Nebraska, 137
9. Northwestern, 131
10. Iowa, 98
11. Michigan State, 46
12. Illinois, 42