Jan. 18, 2014
DALLAS -- New team season-best times from Guillermo Blanco, Stephen Seliskar and the 200 medley relay team highlighted the second and final night of the 30th annual Classic @ SMU for Purdue men's swimming and diving.
Nine Boilermakers were in Dallas this weekend competing at the prestigious two-day event. Four of the six teams in the field were ranked in the Top 10 of the latest CSCAA national rankings. No. 1 Michigan closed out a victory in the team scoring, edging No. 3 Florida by 12 points despite finishing fifth in the final event of the meet (the 200 free relay).
Purdue finished fifth with 244.5 points, its best score at the Classic @ SMU over its last four years of competing in Dallas. Blanco led the way by recording 46 points in the individual events as the only Boiler to race in A finals of four different events. He was recognized as the MVP of the meet via a vote of all the participating coaches after his individual point total was No. 1 overall.
"The guys really brought it tonight; I can say honestly we had the complete package," Purdue head coach Dan Ross said. Alec Back missed just one dive for a second-place finish. The relay guys shone bright. All individuals stepped up to the plate no matter how they felt in the water. And Guillermo Blanco was voted the MVP by all the coaches at the meet after he scored more individual points than any other swimmer. Purdue men's and women's swimmers and divers are really ready for the time of year when swimming fast and diving great means something. Boiler Up."
Alec Back (3-meter diving) and Blanco (200 IM) each posted a runner-up finish in a championship final Saturday. Twenty-four hours after breaking the program record in the 400 IM, Blanco recorded the second-fastest time (1:44.89) in Purdue history in the 200 IM. Only Louis Paul's 2005 team record (1:44.65) was better than Blanco's showing Saturday. Blanco's time of 1:45.22 in the 200 backstroke was also a Purdue season best.
Seliskar posted his team season-best time (1:48.87) in the B final of the 200 butterfly, recording a faster mark than three swimmers in the A final of the event in the process.
Danny Conway managed to post personal season-best times in each of his events (200 fly and 500 free) Saturday. He joined Blanco as Boilers to race in four different individual events in Dallas this weekend.
Lyam Dias, Austin Flager, Danny Tucker and Seliskar teamed up for a Purdue season-best time (1:28.68) in the 200 medley relay, accounting for the seventh-fastest time in program history.
Matt Friede, Filip Bujoczek, Flager and Tucker also teamed up to take third in the 200 free relay. Their time of 1:20.58 was just two hundredths shy of the team's season-best time in the event from last weekend's dual against Michigan that ranked eighth in program history.
The Boilermakers are idle from competition next weekend and return to action the weekend of Jan. 31-Feb. 1 for the annual Big Ten Triple Duals with Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Boilermaker Aquatic Center will serve as the host of the two-day meet this season.
Classic @ SMU Final Night Results
Team Scoring
#1 Michigan, 333
#3 Florida, 321
#6 USC, 298
#8 Louisville, 266.5
Purdue, 244.5
SMU, 210
Boilermakers Competing
* -- New Purdue Season-Best Time/Score
^ -- New Personal Season-Best Time/Score
3-Meter Diving
Alec Back, 363.55 - Finished 2nd (13 Points)
200 IM
Guillermo Blanco, 1:44.89* - Finished 2nd in A Final (13 Points); 2ND FASTEST IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Lyam Dias, 1:49.38 - Finished 3rd in B Final (4 Points)
100 Free
Danny Tucker, 44.69 - Finished 5th in A Final (10 Points)
Matt Friede, 45.32 - Finished 5th in B Final (2 Points)
500 Free
Filip Bujoczek, 4:25.24 - Finished 4th in A Final (11 Points)
Danny Conway, 4:29.08^ - Finished 4th in B Final (3 Points)
200 Back
Guillermo Blanco, 1:45.22* - Finished 4th in A Final (11 Points)
Stephen Seliskar, 1:49.91 - Finished 5th in B Final (2 Points)
200 Breast
Lyam Dias, 1:57.75 - Finished 3rd in A Final (12 Points)
Austin Flager, 2:11.28 - Finished 6th in B Final (1 Point)
200 Fly
Danny Conway, 1:49.08^ - Finished 4th in A Final (11 Points)
Stephen Seliskar, 1:48.87* - Finished 4th in B Final (3 Points)
200 Free Relay
Flager, Tucker, Friede & Bujoczek, 1:20.58^ - Finished 3rd (18 Points)
200 Medley Relay
Seliskar, Dias, Flager & Tucker, 1:28.68* - Finished 5th (14 Points); 7TH FASTEST IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Individual Scoring for the Classic @ SMU
Guillermo Blanco -- 46 Points
2nd in A Final of 200 IM (13 Points)
3rd in A Final of 400 IM (12 Points)
4th in A Final of 200 Back (11 Points)
5th in A Final of 100 Back (10 Points)
Lyam Dias -- 27 Points
3rd in A Final of 200 Breast (12 Points)
4th in A Final of 100 Breast (11 Points)
3rd in B Final of 200 IM (4 Points)
Alec Back -- 24 Points
2nd in 3-Meter Diving (13 Points)
4th in 1-Meter Diving (11 Points)
Filip Bujoczek -- 23 Points
4th in A Final of 500 Free (11 Points)
5th in A Final of 200 Free (10 Points)
5th in B Final of 100 Fly (2 Points)
Danny Tucker -- 21 Points
4th in A Final of 50 Free (11 Points)
5th in A Final of 100 Free (10 Points)
Danny Conway -- 19 Points
4th in A Final of 200 Fly (11 Points)
3rd in B Final of 400 IM (4 Points)
4th in B Final of 500 Free (3 Points)
6th in B Final of 100 Breast (1 Point)
Stephen Seliskar -- 15 Points
5th in A Final of 100 Fly (10 Points)
4th in B Final of 200 Fly (3 Points)
5th in B Final of 200 Back (2 Points)
Austin Flager -- 6.5 Points
T-3rd in B Final of 50 Free (3.5 Points)
5th in B Final of 100 Back (2 Points)
6th in B Final of 200 Breast (1 Point)
Matt Friede -- 3 Points
5th in B Final of 100 Free (2 Points)
6th in B Final of 200 Free (1 Point)