WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Sophie McAfee eclipsed a benchmark that had stood for more than a decade while winning on 3-meter with a program-record score, accounting for the top individual performance on a day full of them for Purdue Swimming & Diving during Thursday's opening sessions of the Purdue Invitational.
McAfee soared to a big score of 389.18, breaking Casey Matthews' 3-meter diving team record (388.50) that had stood since the 2013 Big Ten Championships. Matthews won the NCAA title on 3-meter a month later. Avery Worobel eclipsed the Purdue freshman record in the event in both the prelims and final, resetting the standard at 360.00. McAfee and Worobel teamed with Daryn Wright for a 1-2-3 finish in the event.
The Boilermakers posted 15 times/scores that went into the program record books among the all-time top-15 leaderboards. Abby Marcukaitis (53.15 in 100 back, 3rd), the women's 200 free relay team (1:30.71, 4th) and Max Miller (429.75 on 1-meter, 5th) all accounted for top-five marks in team history.
Kate Mouser's victory in the 500 freestyle came via an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 4:46.11 that moved the sophomore into seventh place in program history. She enjoyed a 5.79-second time drop from the prelims to the final while leading the way in an event in which Purdue produced seven of the eight qualifiers for the A final, including the top six finishers. The Boilermakers racked up 106 points in the 500.
Hannah Hill (50 free), Matheo Mateos (200 IM) and the freshman trio of Zach Welsh, Kaden Springfield and Tyler Wills (men's team diving) joined McAfee, Miller and Mouser as Purdue's six event winners Thursday. The Purdue men produced the top five finishers in 1-meter diving while banking 82 points in the event.
Adele Sands and Alexander Cole teamed up to give the Boilermakers the top qualifiers in the men's and women's 500 freestyle. They both added their names to the all-time leaderboard with their lifetime bests in the prelims. In their A finals, Cole settled for runner-up honors and Sands took third behind Mouser and Caitlin Hurley.
Worobel eclipsed Wright's freshman record on 3-meter (354.53), established in a January 2023 dual at Illinois. Previously, the Purdue women's freshman record in the event had stood since 2008.
The Purdue Invitational continues Friday with swimming prelims at 10 a.m., diving prelims at 1 p.m. and the finals session at 5 p.m.
McAfee soared to a big score of 389.18, breaking Casey Matthews' 3-meter diving team record (388.50) that had stood since the 2013 Big Ten Championships. Matthews won the NCAA title on 3-meter a month later. Avery Worobel eclipsed the Purdue freshman record in the event in both the prelims and final, resetting the standard at 360.00. McAfee and Worobel teamed with Daryn Wright for a 1-2-3 finish in the event.
| DAY 1 TEAM SCORES | |
| MEN Purdue 299 Grand Canyon 251 McKendree 186 Southern Illinois 137 |
WOMEN Purdue 349 FIU 196 Southern Illinois 140 Grand Canyon 121 Illinois State 111 McKendree 78 |
| PURDUE'S EVENT SCORING BREAKDOWN | |
| MEN 1-Meter Diving – 82 Points 200 IM – 54 Points 500 Free – 50 Points 800 Free Relay – 34 Points 400 Medley Relay – 30 Points 50 Free – 29 Points Team Diving – 20 Points |
WOMEN 500 Free – 106 Points 3-Meter Diving – 67 Points 200 IM – 55 Points 50 Free – 49 Points 200 Free Relay – 34 Points 400 Medley Relay – 34 Points |
The Boilermakers posted 15 times/scores that went into the program record books among the all-time top-15 leaderboards. Abby Marcukaitis (53.15 in 100 back, 3rd), the women's 200 free relay team (1:30.71, 4th) and Max Miller (429.75 on 1-meter, 5th) all accounted for top-five marks in team history.
Kate Mouser's victory in the 500 freestyle came via an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 4:46.11 that moved the sophomore into seventh place in program history. She enjoyed a 5.79-second time drop from the prelims to the final while leading the way in an event in which Purdue produced seven of the eight qualifiers for the A final, including the top six finishers. The Boilermakers racked up 106 points in the 500.
Hannah Hill (50 free), Matheo Mateos (200 IM) and the freshman trio of Zach Welsh, Kaden Springfield and Tyler Wills (men's team diving) joined McAfee, Miller and Mouser as Purdue's six event winners Thursday. The Purdue men produced the top five finishers in 1-meter diving while banking 82 points in the event.
| PURDUE'S TOP ACHIEVEMENTS – THURSDAY | |
| EVENT WINNERS Max Miller – 1-Meter Diving Sophie McAfee – 3-Meter Diving Hannah Hill – 50 Free Matheo Mateos – 200 IM Kate Mouser – 500 Free Men's Team Diving – Welsh, Springfield, Wills WON B FINALS Kaia Podlin – 50 Free Sophia Capp – 200 IM WON C/D FINALS Charles Lee – 200 IM (C) Ana Rojas – 50 Free (D) Leyla Sleime – 200 IM (D) FRESHMEN IN A FINALS Men's 1M – Zach Welsh, Tyler Wills, Kaden Springfield Women's 3M – Avery Worobel Men's 50 Free – Will Jost Women's 50 Free – Lara Phipps Men's 200 IM – Evan Mackesy Women's 500 Free – Adele Sands, Campbell Scofield, Caroline Frazier, Sarah Pophal |
RECORDS Sophie McAfee – 3-Meter Diving Team & Meet Records Avery Worobel – 3-Meter Diving Freshman Record Max Miller – 1-Meter Diving Meet Record Men's Team Diving – Meet Record MOVED UP PURDUE'S ALL-TIME LEADERBOARDS Sophie McAfee (389.18) – 1st in 3-Meter Diving Abby Marcukaitis (53.15) – 3rd in 100 Back Women's 200 Free Relay (1:30.71) – 4th Max Miller (429.75) – 5th in 1-Meter Diving Women's 400 Medley Relay (3:35.97) – 6th Kate Mouser (4:46.11) – 7th in 500 Free Jordan Rzepka (414.30) – 8th in 1-Meter Diving Zach Welsh (399.53) – 9th in 1-Meter Diving Daryn Wright (369.53) – 10th in 3-Meter Diving Avery Worobel (360.00) – 12th in 3-Meter Diving Matheo Mateos (1:46.26) – 12th in 200 IM Adele Sands (4:47.37) – 13th in 500 Free Alexander Cole (4:24.76) – 13th in 500 Free Caitlin Hurley (4:47.64) – 15th in 500 Free Keira Kask (2:01.47) – 15th in 200 IM |
Adele Sands and Alexander Cole teamed up to give the Boilermakers the top qualifiers in the men's and women's 500 freestyle. They both added their names to the all-time leaderboard with their lifetime bests in the prelims. In their A finals, Cole settled for runner-up honors and Sands took third behind Mouser and Caitlin Hurley.
Worobel eclipsed Wright's freshman record on 3-meter (354.53), established in a January 2023 dual at Illinois. Previously, the Purdue women's freshman record in the event had stood since 2008.
The Purdue Invitational continues Friday with swimming prelims at 10 a.m., diving prelims at 1 p.m. and the finals session at 5 p.m.