MINNEAPOLIS – Jordan Rzepka won the conference title in platform diving to cap a distinguished career at the Big Ten Championships and his classmate Brady Samuels eclipsed three individual team records over the course of the week, headlining the championship meet for Purdue Men's Swimming & Diving.
Sixteen Boilermakers scored in at least one individual event at Big Tens this season, with 10 of the student-athletes among that group scoring in multiple events. Headlined by four team records, 21 lifetime bests from Big Tens went into the program record book.
Rzepka also won bronze in 3-meter diving for the second year in a row, closing his four-year run at Big Tens with six medals – one gold, three silver, two bronze – and a perfect 12-for-12 in top-10 finishes. As the Purdue men's first Big Ten Diver of the Championships since coach David Boudia won the final of his three such honors in 2011, Rzepka accounted for a career-high 84 team points. The 312 points he accounted for over the last four years are the most by a Boilermaker – male or female – since the top-24 scoring format was introduced in 2016.
Rzepka's six career medals at Big Tens are believed to be third most in team history behind Olympic medalists David Boudia (9) and Steele Johnson (7). Brandon Loschiavo was the Boilermakers' last Big Ten champion, winning the last of his three conference titles on platform in 2021.
Samuels set team records in the 50 freestyle (19.24), 100 butterfly (45.10) and 200 free (1:32.52). He established the 200 benchmark on the leadoff leg of the 800 free relay, teaming up with three freshmen – Blake Rowe, Walker Mattice and Evan Mackesy – to eclipse the team record in that event as well. In the 200 free relay, Samuels' 50 split 18.78 on the second leg of the race is the fastest ever by a Boilermaker.
Samuels was a two-time A finalist for the fourth year in a row while accounting for 62 team points. His 253 team points over the last four years represents the most by any Purdue swimmer since 2016.
Tyler Wills won bronze in platform diving to become the Boilermakers' first freshman medalist since 2022. He was joined on the new Big Ten All-Freshman Team by Zach Welsh and Kaden Springfield. Welsh finished top 10 on both springboards and Springfield was also a championship finalist on the tower. That trio ranked 3-4-5 among Purdue's scoring leaders.
Mackesy eclipsed the Purdue freshman record in the 400 IM that had stood since 2014, moving into second place in team history overall. Rowe was an A finalist in the 200 backstroke as Purdue's first freshman to race for a Big Ten title since 2022. Rowe eclipsed the team's freshman record in the event at the Toyota U.S. Open in December. They both swam on a pair of relays at Big Tens as freshmen.
Pat Broderick moved into fourth place in team history in the mile, posting Purdue's fastest time in the event since the 2018 Big Ten Championships. He and classmate Max Miller (fourth in the 1-meter championship final) have both scored in each of the underclassman seasons as potentially the next in line to be four-year scorers at Big Tens.
Swimming qualifiers for the men's NCAA Championships will be announced on Wednesday, March 12. The Zone C Diving Championships (March 10-12 in Columbus) serve as diving's NCAA qualifier for teams based in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky.
Sixteen Boilermakers scored in at least one individual event at Big Tens this season, with 10 of the student-athletes among that group scoring in multiple events. Headlined by four team records, 21 lifetime bests from Big Tens went into the program record book.
Rzepka also won bronze in 3-meter diving for the second year in a row, closing his four-year run at Big Tens with six medals – one gold, three silver, two bronze – and a perfect 12-for-12 in top-10 finishes. As the Purdue men's first Big Ten Diver of the Championships since coach David Boudia won the final of his three such honors in 2011, Rzepka accounted for a career-high 84 team points. The 312 points he accounted for over the last four years are the most by a Boilermaker – male or female – since the top-24 scoring format was introduced in 2016.
Rzepka's six career medals at Big Tens are believed to be third most in team history behind Olympic medalists David Boudia (9) and Steele Johnson (7). Brandon Loschiavo was the Boilermakers' last Big Ten champion, winning the last of his three conference titles on platform in 2021.
Samuels set team records in the 50 freestyle (19.24), 100 butterfly (45.10) and 200 free (1:32.52). He established the 200 benchmark on the leadoff leg of the 800 free relay, teaming up with three freshmen – Blake Rowe, Walker Mattice and Evan Mackesy – to eclipse the team record in that event as well. In the 200 free relay, Samuels' 50 split 18.78 on the second leg of the race is the fastest ever by a Boilermaker.
Samuels was a two-time A finalist for the fourth year in a row while accounting for 62 team points. His 253 team points over the last four years represents the most by any Purdue swimmer since 2016.
Tyler Wills won bronze in platform diving to become the Boilermakers' first freshman medalist since 2022. He was joined on the new Big Ten All-Freshman Team by Zach Welsh and Kaden Springfield. Welsh finished top 10 on both springboards and Springfield was also a championship finalist on the tower. That trio ranked 3-4-5 among Purdue's scoring leaders.
| NOTABLES FROM BIG TENS | |
| Top Scorers 1.) Jordan Rzepka – 84 Points Platform – Big Ten Champ (32 Points) 3-Meter – 3rd in A Final (27 Points) 1-Meter – 5th in A Final (25 Points) 2.) Brady Samuels – 62 Points 100 Free – T-5th in A Final (24.5 Pts) 100 Fly – 6th in A Final (24 Points) 50 Free – T-5th in B Final (13.5 Pts) 3.) Zach Welsh – 44 Points 1-Meter – 6th in A Final (24 Points) 3-Meter – Won B Final (20 Points) 4.) Tyler Wills – 41 Points Platform – 3rd in A Final (27 Points) 3-Meter – 5th in B Final (14 Points) 5.) Kaden Springfield – 40 Points Platform – 6th in A Final (24 Points) 3-Meter – 3rd in B Final (16 Points) 6.) Max Miller – 29 Points 1-Meter – 4th in A Final (26 Points) 3-Meter – 22nd in Prelims (3 Points) 7.) Blake Rowe – 27 Points 200 Back – 6th in A Final (24 Points) 100 Back – 6th in C Final (3 Points) 8.) Evan Mackesy – 15 Points 400 IM – 4th in B Final (15 Points) 9.) Maxwell Blume – 12 Points 100 Breast – 2nd in C Final (7 Points) 200 Breast – 4th in C Final (5 Points) |
Team Records Brady Samuels in… 50 Free – 19.24 100 Fly – 45.10 200 Free – 1:32.52 800 Free Relay – 6:21.94 …Samuels, Mattice, Rowe, Mackesy More Lifetime Bests to Move Up/Join Record Evan Mackesy – 2nd in 400 IM (3:45.72) …Purdue Freshman Record Pat Broderick – 4th in 1650 Free (15:12.43) 200 Free Relay Team – 4th (1:17.44) …Thomas, Samuels, Muhammad, Kelly 400 Free Relay Team – 4th (2:51.92) …Samuels, Muhammad, Thomas, Kelly Maxwell Blume – 7th in 200 Breast (1:56.69) 200 Medley Relay – 7th (1:25.20) …Muhammad, Whittaker, Samuels, Thomas Evan Mackesy – 8th in 500 Free (4:23.28) Matheo Mateos – 8th in 200 IM (1:45.76) Raymond Whittaker – 9th in 200 Breast (1:57.03) Maxwell Blume – 9th in 100 Breast (53.36) Raymond Whittaker – 10th in 100 Breast (53.41) Walker Mattice – 12th in 200 Free (1:36.51) Tyler Wills – 12th on Platform (430.50) Luke Fortner – 13th in 200 Breast (1:57.81) Wyatt Blair – 13th in 200 Fly (1:46.49) Pat Broderick – 14th in 500 Free (4:24.80) Luke Fortner – 15th in 100 Breast (53.90) |
Mackesy eclipsed the Purdue freshman record in the 400 IM that had stood since 2014, moving into second place in team history overall. Rowe was an A finalist in the 200 backstroke as Purdue's first freshman to race for a Big Ten title since 2022. Rowe eclipsed the team's freshman record in the event at the Toyota U.S. Open in December. They both swam on a pair of relays at Big Tens as freshmen.
Pat Broderick moved into fourth place in team history in the mile, posting Purdue's fastest time in the event since the 2018 Big Ten Championships. He and classmate Max Miller (fourth in the 1-meter championship final) have both scored in each of the underclassman seasons as potentially the next in line to be four-year scorers at Big Tens.
Swimming qualifiers for the men's NCAA Championships will be announced on Wednesday, March 12. The Zone C Diving Championships (March 10-12 in Columbus) serve as diving's NCAA qualifier for teams based in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky.
| ACTIVE CAREER SCORING LEADERS AT BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS | |||||
| Boilermaker | Career Points | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
| Jordan Rzepka | 312 | 84 | 81 | 71 | 76 |
| Brady Samuels | 253 | 62 | 65 | 67 | 59 |
| Sam Bennett | 62 | DNC | DNC | 47 | 15 |
| Idris Muhammad | 56 | 4 | 22 | 30 | -- |
| Max Miller | 46 | 29 | 17 | NA | NA |
| Zach Welsh | 44 | 44 | NA | NA | NA |
| Tyler Wills | 41 | 41 | NA | NA | NA |
| Holden Higbie | 40 | DNC | 40 | NA | NA |
| Kaden Springfield | 40 | 40 | NA | NA | NA |
| Dylan Burau | 28.5 | DNC | 27 | 1.5 | NA |
| Blake Rowe | 27 | 27 | NA | NA | NA |
| Pat Broderick | 20 | 7 | 13 | NA | NA |
| Connor McCarthy | 18.5 | -- | 14.5 | 4 | -- |
| Evan Mackesy | 15 | 15 | NA | NA | NA |
| Maxwell Blume | 12 | 12 | -- | NA | NA |