Nov. 22, 2013
Results | Dive-by-Dive Scoring | Meet Central
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Casey Matthews won the 3-meter diving competition and Carly Mercer and Nika Karlina Petric each moved up on the program's all-time Top 10 lists with personal-best times, highlighting the opening day of action at the Ohio State Invitational for No. 16 Purdue women's swimming and diving.
The Boilermakers were in fourth place with 163.5 points at end of Friday night finals. The three-day Ohio State Invitational features four Top 20 teams competing in a 10-lane pool. No. 12 Virginia held the lead in the team scoring after day one with 364 points.
Matthews posted a meet-record score of 371.60 while winning the finals of 3-meter diving by 51.35 points. She also dominated the preliminary round with a score of 349.60.
Mercer qualified for A finals in the 50 free and 200 IM. She posted a Purdue season-best time of 22.69 to account for the top time in the prelims of the 50 freestyle. But she settled for third place in the finals after Florida's Natalie Hinds and Ellese Zalewski were the co-winners of the event with duplicate times of 22.27. Mercer's time was .06 hundredths off her personal-best mark from the 2013 Big Tens, which ranks third in program history.
Mercer did post a personal-best time of 2:00.24 in the prelims of the 200 IM, elevating the senior into third place in program history.
Petric finished as the runner-up in the B final of the 500 free with a personal-best time of 4:45.91, moving up one spot into fourth place in team history. Allie Davis posted a Purdue season-best time of 4:45.69 while finishing as the runner-up in the C final, coming up .08 hundredths shy of her top time of a year ago.
The Boilermakers' top foursomes in both the 200 free and 400 medley relays each posted Top 10 all-time showings. Mercer, Rhiannon Sheets, Carly Marshall and Grace Hernandez finished third in the 200 free relay with the seventh-fastest time (1:31.40) in program history. Anji Li accounted for a Purdue season-best time (56.44) in the 100 backstroke on the opening leg of the 400 medley relay, teaming with Meagan Gallagher, Alex Todd and Sheets for the 10th-best mark (3:44.89) in team history.
Michelle Cabassol (3-meter diving), Francesca Marr (200 IM), Sheets (50 free) and Marshall (50 free) also scored team points for the Boilers Friday with their individual finishes in finals heats of the evening session.
Layne Rogers placed fourth in the men's 1-meter diving competition to rank as the top finisher among the men's divers, competing separate from their swimmer teammates this weekend.
The Ohio State Invitational continues Saturday with prelims at 10 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m.
Team Scoring -- Day One
#12 Virginia, 364
#5 Florida, 336
#19 Ohio State, 180.5
#16 Purdue, 163.5
Kentucky, 112
Purdue Winners & Notables -- Day One
* -- Purdue Season-Best Time/Score
^ -- Personal Season-Best Time/Score
! -- New Ohio State Invitational Meet Record
(B) -- NCAA Provisional Qualifying Time
(Z) -- NCAA Zone Qualifying Score
3-Meter Diving
Casey Matthews, 371.60!* (Z) -- Event Winner (20 Points)
Michelle Cabassol, 329.30^ (Z, Prelim Score) -- Finished 8th (11 Points)
Mary Beth Dunnichay, 219.05 -- Finished 15th in Prelims (2 Points)
50 Free
Carly Mercer, 22.69* (B, Prelim Time) -- Finished 3rd in A Final (16 Points)
Rhiannon Sheets, 23.26^ -- Finished 3rd in B Final (4 Points)
Carly Marshall, 23.48^ -- Finished T-6th in B Final (1/2 Point)
Grace Hernandez, 23.48^ (Prelim Time) -- Finished 9th in B Final
Anji Li, 23.59^ (Prelim Time) -- Finished 2nd in C Final
Kylie Vogel, 23.96^ (Prelim Time) -- Finished 6th in C Final
500 Free
Allie Davis, 4:45.69* (B) -- Finished 2nd in C Final
Nika Karlina Petric, 4:45.91^ (B) -- Finished 2nd in B Final (4 Points); 4th Fastest in Purdue History
Lizzy Lyon, 4:50.51^ -- Finished 5th in C Final
200 IM
Carly Mercer, 2:00.24* (B, Prelim Time) -- Finished 10th in A Final (7 Points); 3rd Fastest in Purdue History
Francesca Marr, 2:02.52^ -- Finished 5th in B Final (2 Points)
Stephanie Schlobohm, 2:03.15^ -- Finished 2nd in C Final
Meagan Lim, 2:04.24^ (Prelim Time) -- Finished 9th in C Final
200 Free Relay
Mercer, Sheets, Marshall & Hernandez, 1:31.40* -- Finished T-3rd (31 Points); 7th Fastest in Purdue History
Li, Vogel, Fozkos, Gerbrandt, 1:34.92^ -- Finished 9th (18 Points)
400 Medley Relay
Li, Marr, Lim & Mercer, 3:42.02* -- Finished 7th (26 Points); 10th Fastest in Purdue History
Li Purdue season-best 100 back time of 56.44 on opening leg
Vogel, Gallagher, Todd & Sheets, 3:44.89^ -- Finished 11th (22 Points)
Men's Diving Event
1-Meter
Layne Rogers, 342.90 (Z) -- Finished 4th (15 Points)
Nate Cox, 311.00 (Z, Prelim Score) -- Finished 6th (13 Points)
Sean Mokhtari, 294.79 -- Finished 10th in Prelims (7 Points)
Alec Back, 292.55 -- Finished 11th in Prelims (6 Points)
Jamie Bissett, 271.60 -- Finished 15th in Prelims (2 Points)