INNEAPOLIS – A pair of 90-point dives over the final two rounds on platform allowed Purdue senior Jordan Rzepka to close out his career at the Big Ten Championships with a golden moment, winning his first conference title to also earn Diver of the Championships.
Rzepka won his sixth career medal at Big Tens and was joined on the podium by freshmen Tyler Wills (bronze) and Kaden Springfield (6th). Rzepka won by 33 points thanks to scores of 84.15, 92.5 and 96.9 over the final three rounds. His final two dives – a forward 4 ½ (109C) and a forward 2 ½ 3-twiser (5156B) – were among the most intricate dives performed Saturday. He ripped both to defeat 2024 Big Ten, NCAA and U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion Carson Tyler of Indiana.
Rzepka finished top five in all three diving events at Big Tens for the second year in a row. He won bronze on 3-meter Friday and was fifth on 1-meter Thursday. He finished his four-year career a perfect 12-for-12 in top-10 finishes at Big Tens. The only championship final in which Rzepka did not qualify was 1-meter as a freshman in 2022 – winning the consolation final instead.
Rzepka is the first Boilermaker to win Big Ten Diver of the Championships since Emily Bretscher in 2020. Even though the men had won six Big Ten titles in the dive well since 2012, current head coach David Boudia was Purdue's last Big Ten Diver of the Championships in 2011. Boudia won the award three straight years from 2009 to 2011 while going 8-for-9 in Big Ten titles before turning pro after his junior season.
Rzepka joins Olympians Brandon Loschiavo (2018, 2019, 2021), Steele Johnson (2017) and Boudia (2009-11) as Purdue men to win gold on platform at Big Tens. The Boilermakers have won at least one Big Ten title (any event) the last six times Minnesota has hosted the men's Big Ten Championships dating back to 1998.
Wills finished just 0.35 behind Tyler while posting a career-best list total of 430.50, improving on his prelim score by 81 points. He became Purdue's first freshman to medal at Big Tens since Tyler Downs (bronze on 1-meter) and Rzepka (silver on 3-meter and platform) in 2022.
Wills was joined on the new Big Ten All-Freshman Team by Zach Welsh and Springfield. The top two freshmen finishers in each event are automatically recognized on the All-Freshman Team. Welsh was sixth on 1-meter and finished top 10 on both springboards after winning the 3-meter consolation final Friday.
In the swimming events, Brady Samuels placed fifth in the 100 freestyle, racing in his eighth career A final in his swan song at Big Tens. He scored in all three of his individual events all four years. Samuels' team season-best time of 42.01 – an NCAA provisional qualifying time (B Cut) – was just shy of his lifetime best (41.99) from 2023.
Blake Rowe was an A finalist in the 200 backstroke, placing sixth in his premier event. He became Purdue's first freshman swimmer to qualify for an A final at Big Tens since Samuels in 2022.
Pat Broderick moved into fourth place in program history with a time of 15:12.43 (B Cut) in the mile, placing 18th overall. It was the fastest time by a Boilermaker since 2018.
Idris Muhammad scored in the 100 backstroke Friday to join Samuels and Rzepka as four-year scorers at Big Tens. Saturday, he once again teamed with Samuels on a relay at Big Tens. With Nathaniel Thomas and Andy Kelly swimming the final two legs of the 400 free relay, the Boilermakers posted the fourth-fastest time (2:51.92) in team history.
Maxwell Blume, Raymond Whittaker and Luke Fortner all posted lifetime bests in the breaststroke for the second day in a row. Blume (1:56.69, 7th all-time) and Whittaker (1:57.03, 9th) scored in the C final. Fortner (1:57.81) moved into 13th place on the team's all-time leaderboard.
Purdue may choose to send selected swimmers to an NCAA last chance meet next weekend. Men's swimming qualifiers for the NCAA Championships will be announced on March 12. The divers qualify for NCAAs via the annual Zone C Diving Championships, set for March 9-12 in Columbus.
FINAL TEAM SCORES
1.) #2 Indiana 1579
2.) #10 Michigan 1148
3.) #13 Ohio State 1100
4.) #16 USC 878
5.) #24 Minnesota 794.5
6.) Wisconsin 735
7.) Northwestern 711
8.) Purdue 597
9.) Penn State 512.5
Rzepka won his sixth career medal at Big Tens and was joined on the podium by freshmen Tyler Wills (bronze) and Kaden Springfield (6th). Rzepka won by 33 points thanks to scores of 84.15, 92.5 and 96.9 over the final three rounds. His final two dives – a forward 4 ½ (109C) and a forward 2 ½ 3-twiser (5156B) – were among the most intricate dives performed Saturday. He ripped both to defeat 2024 Big Ten, NCAA and U.S. Olympic Team Trials champion Carson Tyler of Indiana.
Rzepka finished top five in all three diving events at Big Tens for the second year in a row. He won bronze on 3-meter Friday and was fifth on 1-meter Thursday. He finished his four-year career a perfect 12-for-12 in top-10 finishes at Big Tens. The only championship final in which Rzepka did not qualify was 1-meter as a freshman in 2022 – winning the consolation final instead.
Rzepka is the first Boilermaker to win Big Ten Diver of the Championships since Emily Bretscher in 2020. Even though the men had won six Big Ten titles in the dive well since 2012, current head coach David Boudia was Purdue's last Big Ten Diver of the Championships in 2011. Boudia won the award three straight years from 2009 to 2011 while going 8-for-9 in Big Ten titles before turning pro after his junior season.
Rzepka joins Olympians Brandon Loschiavo (2018, 2019, 2021), Steele Johnson (2017) and Boudia (2009-11) as Purdue men to win gold on platform at Big Tens. The Boilermakers have won at least one Big Ten title (any event) the last six times Minnesota has hosted the men's Big Ten Championships dating back to 1998.
Wills finished just 0.35 behind Tyler while posting a career-best list total of 430.50, improving on his prelim score by 81 points. He became Purdue's first freshman to medal at Big Tens since Tyler Downs (bronze on 1-meter) and Rzepka (silver on 3-meter and platform) in 2022.
Wills was joined on the new Big Ten All-Freshman Team by Zach Welsh and Springfield. The top two freshmen finishers in each event are automatically recognized on the All-Freshman Team. Welsh was sixth on 1-meter and finished top 10 on both springboards after winning the 3-meter consolation final Friday.
In the swimming events, Brady Samuels placed fifth in the 100 freestyle, racing in his eighth career A final in his swan song at Big Tens. He scored in all three of his individual events all four years. Samuels' team season-best time of 42.01 – an NCAA provisional qualifying time (B Cut) – was just shy of his lifetime best (41.99) from 2023.
Blake Rowe was an A finalist in the 200 backstroke, placing sixth in his premier event. He became Purdue's first freshman swimmer to qualify for an A final at Big Tens since Samuels in 2022.
Pat Broderick moved into fourth place in program history with a time of 15:12.43 (B Cut) in the mile, placing 18th overall. It was the fastest time by a Boilermaker since 2018.
Idris Muhammad scored in the 100 backstroke Friday to join Samuels and Rzepka as four-year scorers at Big Tens. Saturday, he once again teamed with Samuels on a relay at Big Tens. With Nathaniel Thomas and Andy Kelly swimming the final two legs of the 400 free relay, the Boilermakers posted the fourth-fastest time (2:51.92) in team history.
Maxwell Blume, Raymond Whittaker and Luke Fortner all posted lifetime bests in the breaststroke for the second day in a row. Blume (1:56.69, 7th all-time) and Whittaker (1:57.03, 9th) scored in the C final. Fortner (1:57.81) moved into 13th place on the team's all-time leaderboard.
Purdue may choose to send selected swimmers to an NCAA last chance meet next weekend. Men's swimming qualifiers for the NCAA Championships will be announced on March 12. The divers qualify for NCAAs via the annual Zone C Diving Championships, set for March 9-12 in Columbus.
FINAL TEAM SCORES
1.) #2 Indiana 1579
2.) #10 Michigan 1148
3.) #13 Ohio State 1100
4.) #16 USC 878
5.) #24 Minnesota 794.5
6.) Wisconsin 735
7.) Northwestern 711
8.) Purdue 597
9.) Penn State 512.5