Feb. 28, 2014
By Tom Schott
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Thanks to a second-place finish by junior Jamie Bissett in 1-meter diving (381.15) and a fourth-place effort by senior Danny Tucker in the 50 free (19.53), the 22nd-ranked men's swimming and diving team sits in seventh place at the Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Boilermakers have 113 points, five behind sixth-place Wisconsin. Just 41 points separate third-place Ohio State and Purdue.
Another highlight was a school record by freshman Filip Bujoczek's in the 500 freestyle (4:20.37)
The Championships continue today and tomorrow.
Senior Salute
No. 19 women's basketball (20-7, 10-5 Big Ten) wraps up the regular season Sunday against No. 16 Nebraska (22-5, 12-3) in a game that will be televised by ESPN2. Purdue has won five in a row. A victory over the Cornhuskers will make the Boilermakers the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, and set their opening game for Friday, March 7, at approximately 2:30 p.m. against the winner of the No. 5-No. 12 game.
After Sunday's game, the Boilermakers' three seniors - KK Houser, Courtney Moses and Dee Dee Williams - will be recognized.
Bunch Sets, Ties Different Kind of Record
Senior Dani Bunch was named the Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week after winning the shot put at the Alex Wilson Invitational on Saturday. It marks the sixth time Bunch has been recognized this season and the seventh time in her career. Both totals are the most for a conference field athlete and tied for the most among all track and field athletes with former Ohio State sprinter Christina Manning.
Both track and field teams are at the Big Ten Indoor Championships today and tomorrow in Geneva, Ohio.
Schenk Shines
Senior Adam Schenk recorded the second-lowest 54-hole score in school history with an 11-under par 205 to finish in a third-place tie at the Puerto Rico Classic that wrapped up Tuesday. He recorded just two holes of bogey or worse during the tournament and finished merely one shot behind Clemson's Miller Capps and Alabama's Robby Shelton (-12; 204). The 95th-ranked Schenk fired rounds of 66, 68 and 71 to defeat 20 golfers ranked ahead of him. He was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week.
As a team, the Boilermakers finished the competitive 54-hole event in a sixth-place tie at five-under par. They finished behind No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia Tech, No. 7 Georgia, No. 42 Clemson and No. 9 Virginia Tech while tying with Michigan and No. 10 Oklahoma. The tournament featured 15 teams, including 10 ranked in the nation's top 43. Purdue's round of 859 was the 12th-best 54-hole score in school history.
The 38th-ranked Boilermakers return to action Sunday through Tuesday at the USF Invitational in Dade City, Fla.
Diving Honors
Senior Casey Matthews was selected co-Diver of the Championships and Adam Soldati was named Diving Coach of the Year following the Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championships last weekend.
Matthews won the 1-meter title and finished second in the 3-meter competition. She shared the conference honor with Maggie Keefer of Minnesota and became the third Purdue diver so recognized, following Carrie McCambridge (2004 and 2006) and Ashley Karnes (2009).
Soldati was honored for the second time for his work with the women divers (also 2009) and has been similarly recognized four times on the men's side. All four Boilermaker divers qualified for the finals of 1-meter diving, and three were among the top eight on the 3-meter.
No-No for Whittemore
Junior Alex Whittemore pitched the 16th no-hitter in Purdue softball history Sunday, a five-inning, 12-0 win over Mississippi Valley State in Auburn, Ala. The no-no was the first for the Boilermakers since April 24, 2010, when Suzie Rzegocki turned the trick against Ball State. Whittemore struck out four and walked one.
The Boilermakers (5-7-1) return to Alabama for the Easton Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa today through Sunday. The home opener is March 26 vs. Illinois-Chicago, and information on promotions and ticket deals for the season can be found here.
Tennis Resumes
No. 39 women's tennis (4-3) opens Big Ten play tomorrow at No. 7 Northwestern (6-3, 1-0 Big Ten). No. 54 men's tennis (4-1) plays host to Bradley at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow on Basham Courts at the Schwartz Tennis Center and entertains DePaul at 4 p.m. Wednesday as part of College MatchDay, the nationwide series spotlighting college tennis.
Online Store Sale
Purdue's official online store will hold its annual spring clearance sale from March 3 to 16, with product that is already 20 percent off marked down an additional 40 percent.
Basketball Banquets
Make plans to attend the men's and women's basketball postseason banquets. The 28th-annual women's event will be April 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the Trails banquet facility, while the 92nd-annual men's event will be April 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Purdue Memorial Union. Ticket applications for both for are available at the Athletic Ticket Office in Mackey Arena. Both banquets are sponsored by the Lafayette Lions.
Etcetera
The baseball team's (0-6) three-game weekend series at Missouri State in Springfield has been cancelled due to winter weather in the forecast. The Boilermakers now are slated to play a Saturday doubleheader against Butler (1-4) and Samford (3-4) in Birmingham, Ala. Game times are 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. ET ... Men's basketball (15-13, 5-10 Big Ten) plays two of its final three regular-season games on the road - at No. 20 Iowa (19-9, 8-7) on Sunday and at No. 14 Wisconsin (23-5, 10-5) on Wednesday. The home finale is March 9 vs. Northwestern (12-16, 5-10) ... All four of Purdue's fall volleyball signees were named to the Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 listing: Christina Ambrose, Danielle Cuttino, Lydia Dimke and Azariah Stahl ... Eleven of the football team's 15 spring practices are open to the public. Click here for the details ...The John Purdue Club Thank-a-Thon began Monday and runs through April 16.