MADISON, Wis. – Emily (Bretscher) Pfeiffer qualified for her ninth career championship final and Hannah Hill eclipsed the team's freshman record in the 50 freestyle for the second time this season, leading the way for Purdue women's swimming & diving Thursday at the Big Ten Championships.
Pfeiffer placed fifth of 52 in the 1-meter diving prelims and finished seventh in the championship final. She teamed with Sophie McAfee and Jenna Sonnenberg to give the Boilermakers three of the top 12 finishers. McAfee won the consolation final in her debut at Big Tens. The trio combined for 58 team points in the event.
Hill became the first Purdue freshman to eclipse 23 seconds in the 50 free, moving into ninth place in team history with a time of 22.88 in the prelims. She initially broke the freshman benchmark with a time of 23.02 at the Purdue Invitational in November.
Pfeiffer improved on her prelim score by 15.95 points in the final, posting list totals of 294.10 and 310.05. She'll aim to become a five-time championship finalist in the platform event Saturday.
McAfee moved up after placing 13th in the prelim. She finished strong in the consolation final, posting a pair of 50-point dives over the final two rounds to win the consol by 16 points while improving on her prelim score (272.20) by 29 points in the final (292.95). Sonnenberg also scored in her debut at the Big Ten Championships. She was 10th of 52 in the prelim (272.20).
Purdue closed the night by improving on its ninth-fastest time in program history in the 400 medley relay. The Boilermakers utilized the same quartet of swimmers as they did at the Purdue Invite in November. Abby Harter, Masy Folcik, Lindsay Turner and Hill teamed up for a time of 3:39.44, trimming .11 hundredths of a second off their mark from the fall semester.
Folcik, Turner and Hill have all raced as part of two of the three relays over the first two days of Big Tens. Folcik and Hill also helped the 200 medley relay team moved into ninth place in team history Wednesday.
The Big Ten Championships continue Friday with swimming prelims at 11 a.m. ET, 3-meter diving prelims at 1 p.m. and the finals session at 6:30 p.m.
THURSDAY TEAM SCORES
1.) No. 6 Ohio State 425
2.) No. 9 Michigan 411.5
3.) No. 15 Indiana 405
4.) No. 14 Wisconsin 371
5.) No. 20 Minnesota 320.5
6.) No. 16 Northwestern 295
7.) Rutgers 190
8.) Nebraska 171
9.) Purdue 160
10.) Penn State 152
11.) Illinois 105
12.) Iowa 92
Pfeiffer placed fifth of 52 in the 1-meter diving prelims and finished seventh in the championship final. She teamed with Sophie McAfee and Jenna Sonnenberg to give the Boilermakers three of the top 12 finishers. McAfee won the consolation final in her debut at Big Tens. The trio combined for 58 team points in the event.
Hill became the first Purdue freshman to eclipse 23 seconds in the 50 free, moving into ninth place in team history with a time of 22.88 in the prelims. She initially broke the freshman benchmark with a time of 23.02 at the Purdue Invitational in November.
Pfeiffer improved on her prelim score by 15.95 points in the final, posting list totals of 294.10 and 310.05. She'll aim to become a five-time championship finalist in the platform event Saturday.
McAfee moved up after placing 13th in the prelim. She finished strong in the consolation final, posting a pair of 50-point dives over the final two rounds to win the consol by 16 points while improving on her prelim score (272.20) by 29 points in the final (292.95). Sonnenberg also scored in her debut at the Big Ten Championships. She was 10th of 52 in the prelim (272.20).
Purdue closed the night by improving on its ninth-fastest time in program history in the 400 medley relay. The Boilermakers utilized the same quartet of swimmers as they did at the Purdue Invite in November. Abby Harter, Masy Folcik, Lindsay Turner and Hill teamed up for a time of 3:39.44, trimming .11 hundredths of a second off their mark from the fall semester.
Folcik, Turner and Hill have all raced as part of two of the three relays over the first two days of Big Tens. Folcik and Hill also helped the 200 medley relay team moved into ninth place in team history Wednesday.
The Big Ten Championships continue Friday with swimming prelims at 11 a.m. ET, 3-meter diving prelims at 1 p.m. and the finals session at 6:30 p.m.
THURSDAY TEAM SCORES
1.) No. 6 Ohio State 425
2.) No. 9 Michigan 411.5
3.) No. 15 Indiana 405
4.) No. 14 Wisconsin 371
5.) No. 20 Minnesota 320.5
6.) No. 16 Northwestern 295
7.) Rutgers 190
8.) Nebraska 171
9.) Purdue 160
10.) Penn State 152
11.) Illinois 105
12.) Iowa 92