Purdue Personal Preferences
Favorite Athlete: Ken Griffey, Jr.
In His MP3 Player: Jay-Z
Last Concert He Attended: Lupe Fiasco
Favorite Autor: Kurt Vonnegut
Favorite Actor: Carl Weathers
Favorite Month: October
Favorite Food: Chili
Favorite Big City: Los Angeles
Country He'd Most Like to Visit: Tarragona, Spain
Another Sport He Enjoys Playing: Baseball
Most Memorable Meet with Purdue: 2011 U.S. Nationals
Enjoyed this Professor's Class: Kristen Moore, Professional Writing
Furry Friend: Shadow, Dog
2011-12 Photo Gallery
2011-12: Honorable Mention All-American (200 free relay)... NCAA Championships Qualifier (50 free, 200 and 400 free relays)... CSCAA Scholar All-America... Academic All-Big Ten... Wachtel competed primarily in the freestyle sprints... qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the 50m and 100m free... swam the third leg on the program record-setting 200 free relay team at a time trial at the Big Ten Championships... also part of Purdue's fastest relay teams in the 400 and 800 free at the Big Ten Championships... season-best times in the 50 (20.21, 5th), 100 (44.18, 3rd) and 200 free (1:38.11, 2nd), all from Big Tens, each ranked among the top five on the team in 2011-12... posted six individual victories total... won the 50 free at the Big Ten Quad and the dual meet victory versus Miami... finished first in the 100 free and 200 fly in the dual meet win vs. Northwestern... swept the 100 and 200 free at the Black and Gold Intrasquad... was among the eight Purdue swimmers that traveled to Dallas for the Classic @ SMU, representing Purdue in the 100 and 200 free and 100 fly as well as relays... accounted for 22 points at the Ohio State Invitational, qualifying for the A final of the 50 and 200 free... competed in the 500 free at the Indiana Intercollegiates... swam on relays winners in dual meets against Indiana, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Miami as well as the Indiana Intercollegiates... finished his career ranking among the fastest in Purdue history in the 50 (19.93, 5th), 100 (43.53, 5th) and 200 free (1:36.53, 3rd) while continuing to hold the freshman record in the 200 (1:37.50).
2010-11: Distinguished Big Ten Scholar... CSCAA Honorable Mention Scholar All-American... Academic All-Big Ten... Wachtel competed primarily in freestyle sprints and was among the team's top performers on relays... posted Purdue season-best times in the 100 (43.53) and 200 free (1:36.53) at the Big Ten Championships... also ranked among the team's top five in the 50 free (20.11, 3rd) and 200 IM (1:53.12, 4th)... swam the leadoff leg on each of Purdue's top free relay teams in the 200 (1:18.99), 400 (2:55.34) and 800 (6:28.45), all posting NCAA provisional qualifying times... helped the 800 free relay team set a new school record at Big Tens... remains a part of Purdue record-setting relays in all three freestyle events after helping set new marks in the 200 and 400 as a freshman in 2009... now ranks third in Purdue history in the 50, 100 and 200 free... won the B final of the 100 free at the Big Ten Championships... also scored team points for Purdue by reaching the B final of the 50 and 200 free at Big Tens... also swam the anchor leg on the 400 medley relay team at Big Tens that posted a Purdue season-best time... the 200 free relay team posted its season-best time at the Ohio State Last Chance meet... helped the 400 relay team win the event while finishing second in the 100 and third in 200 free individually in the dual meet with Indiana... swam the anchor leg for the victorious 800 free relay team at the Big Ten Quad... was the Boilers' standout performer as the team won the Purdue Invitational, winning the 100 and 200 free individually and helping Purdue sweep the freestyle relays... was among the eight swimmers selected to travel to Dallas for the SMU Classic in January, competing in the 100 and 200 free and 100 fly.
2009-10: Academic All-Big Ten...CSCAA All-Academic Honorable Mention...moved to third on Purdue's all-time performance list in 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle...50 freestyle time of 19.93 came during preliminary swim at Big Ten Championships (2/25)...100 freestyle clocking of 43.64 was recorded while swimming first leg on seventh-place 400 freestyle relay team at conference championships (2/27)...swam second leg on 800 freestyle relay that moved to second on program's all-time performance list with 6:32.30 clocking at Big Ten Championships (2/24)...anchored 200 medley relay that moved to fifth on all-time Purdue list by touching wall in 1:29.03 in conference championship opening event...scored points for eighth-place finish in 50 freestyle and 11th-place showing in 100 freestyle at Big Ten Championships...anchored 200 freestyle relay to eighth-place points as well...opened season with three straight 50 freestyle wins and victories in four of first five 100 freestyle races...added another 100 freestyle win vs. Michigan State (1/8) and took 200 freestyle win vs. Spartans one day later...also anchored 400 medley relay, 800 freestyle relay and 200 medley relay quartets to wins vs. Spartans...won 200 freestyle at Eastern Michigan (11/13)...anchored victorious 200 freestyle relay at Indiana Intercollegiates (10/10) and triumphant 400 freestyle relay (11/14) and victorious 800 freestyle relay (11/13) at Eastern Michigan...anchored 200 medley relay to victory at Indiana (2/6) and 400 medley relay to win vs. Northwestern (11/7)...anchored 800-meter freestyle relay to seventh-place finish at ConocoPhillips U.S. National Championships (8/6)...also took final leg on 14th-place 400 medley relay (8/7) and 16th-place 400 freestyle relay (8/3).
2008-09: Swam third leg on Purdue's school-record 200 freestyle relay, second leg on school-record 400 freestyle relay and third leg on school-record 800 freestyle relay...200 freestyle relay finished second in 1:17.91, shattering previous record of 1:19.50 set in 1998, at Big Ten Championships (2/26)...400 freestyle relay finished fourth in 2:54.31, breaking previous record of 2:56.29 set in 2008, at Big Ten Championships (2/28)...800 freestyle relay clocked 6:29.71 to break previous record of 6:34.63 set in 2007 at Big Ten Championships (2/27)...broke Purdue's freshman record and moved to third on school's all-time performance list in 200 freestyle with 1:37.50 time at Big Ten Championships (2/27)...recorded season-best 50 freestyle time of 20.59 at Big Ten Championships (2/26)...earned personal-best long-course times of 51.86 in 100 freestyle (8/5) and 1:53.34 in 200 freestyle (8/7) at U.S. Open National Championships...won 100 freestyle in 46.76 and finished second in 200 freestyle with 1:43.82 time at Indiana Intercollegiates in first collegiate meet (10/18)...also anchored second-place 200 freestyle relay...anchored victorious 400 medley and 400 freestyle relays vs. Miami (10/31)...also finished second in 50 freestyle with 21.40 time and fourth in 500 freestyle after touching wall in 4:45.81...finished second in 100 freestyle with 46.52 time and placed third in 200 freestyle with 1:41.85 clocking at Northwestern (11/7)...finished third in 200 freestyle with 1:42.03 time and in 50 freestyle with 21.73 clocking at Notre Dame (11/8)...also placed fourth in 100 freestyle with 47.10 time...swam second leg on victorious 200 freestyle relay and finished third in 200 backstroke with 1:57.63 time at Purdue Challenge (11/14)...also finished second in 200 freestyle in 1:41.57 and third in 50 freestyle with 21.38 time (11/15)...swam third leg on sixth-place 200 freestyle relay, anchored seventh-place 400 medley relay, finished 22nd in 500 freestyle with 4:39.62 time and placed 28th in 50 freestyle with 21.31 clocking at Art Adamson Invitational (11/21)...also swam third leg on fifth-place 800 freestyle relay and finished 23rd in 200 freestyle with 1:42.13 time (11/22) and swam third leg on fourth-place 400 freestyle relay and finished 22nd in 100 freestyle with 46.32 time (11/23)...finished second in 50 freestyle with 21.75 time in triple dual at Florida Atlantic (1/10)...anchored second-place 200 freestyle relay and sixth-place 400 medley relay and finished seventh in 100 freestyle with 46.47 time in Big Ten Duals at Minnesota (1/30)...also swam second leg on runner-up 400 freestyle relay, finished sixth in 200 freestyle with 1:42.53 time and anchored sixth-place 200 medley relay (1/31)...anchored fourth-place 400 freestyle relay and fifth-place 400 medley relay vs. Indiana (2/7)...also finished sixth in 200 freestyle with 1:40.50 time and in 100 freestyle after stopping clock in 45.73
High School: Graduated from Westfield High School in 2008 ... state champion, all-state and All-American in both 100 free and 200 free his last two years ... swam both events with a broken right foot his senior year ... All-American in the 50 free as a senior ... as a sophomore, named all-state and All-American in the 100 free ... won Team MVP Award in both his sophomore and junior seasons ... earned team's Mental Attitude Award as a freshman ... teams won 2008 SCY Indiana Senior State and 2008 LCM Indiana Senior State ... member of 400 medley relay team that placed fourth at Junior Nationals in 2007 ... finished fourth in 400 free relay and sixth in 800 free relay at 2008 Junior Nationals ... won the St. Vincent Spirit of Sport Award ... member of the Naitional Honor Society.
Personal: Given name is Benjamin Sterling Wachtel ... born March 26, 1990 ... son of Roger and Jeanette Wachtel ... has one older brother, Thomas, and one younger brother, Josh ... majoring in computer graphics technology.
Favorite Athlete: Ken Griffey, Jr.
In His MP3 Player: Jay-Z
Last Concert He Attended: Lupe Fiasco
Favorite Autor: Kurt Vonnegut
Favorite Actor: Carl Weathers
Favorite Month: October
Favorite Food: Chili
Favorite Big City: Los Angeles
Country He'd Most Like to Visit: Tarragona, Spain
Another Sport He Enjoys Playing: Baseball
Most Memorable Meet with Purdue: 2011 U.S. Nationals
Enjoyed this Professor's Class: Kristen Moore, Professional Writing
Furry Friend: Shadow, Dog
2011-12 Photo Gallery2011-12: Honorable Mention All-American (200 free relay)... NCAA Championships Qualifier (50 free, 200 and 400 free relays)... CSCAA Scholar All-America... Academic All-Big Ten... Wachtel competed primarily in the freestyle sprints... qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the 50m and 100m free... swam the third leg on the program record-setting 200 free relay team at a time trial at the Big Ten Championships... also part of Purdue's fastest relay teams in the 400 and 800 free at the Big Ten Championships... season-best times in the 50 (20.21, 5th), 100 (44.18, 3rd) and 200 free (1:38.11, 2nd), all from Big Tens, each ranked among the top five on the team in 2011-12... posted six individual victories total... won the 50 free at the Big Ten Quad and the dual meet victory versus Miami... finished first in the 100 free and 200 fly in the dual meet win vs. Northwestern... swept the 100 and 200 free at the Black and Gold Intrasquad... was among the eight Purdue swimmers that traveled to Dallas for the Classic @ SMU, representing Purdue in the 100 and 200 free and 100 fly as well as relays... accounted for 22 points at the Ohio State Invitational, qualifying for the A final of the 50 and 200 free... competed in the 500 free at the Indiana Intercollegiates... swam on relays winners in dual meets against Indiana, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Miami as well as the Indiana Intercollegiates... finished his career ranking among the fastest in Purdue history in the 50 (19.93, 5th), 100 (43.53, 5th) and 200 free (1:36.53, 3rd) while continuing to hold the freshman record in the 200 (1:37.50).
2010-11: Distinguished Big Ten Scholar... CSCAA Honorable Mention Scholar All-American... Academic All-Big Ten... Wachtel competed primarily in freestyle sprints and was among the team's top performers on relays... posted Purdue season-best times in the 100 (43.53) and 200 free (1:36.53) at the Big Ten Championships... also ranked among the team's top five in the 50 free (20.11, 3rd) and 200 IM (1:53.12, 4th)... swam the leadoff leg on each of Purdue's top free relay teams in the 200 (1:18.99), 400 (2:55.34) and 800 (6:28.45), all posting NCAA provisional qualifying times... helped the 800 free relay team set a new school record at Big Tens... remains a part of Purdue record-setting relays in all three freestyle events after helping set new marks in the 200 and 400 as a freshman in 2009... now ranks third in Purdue history in the 50, 100 and 200 free... won the B final of the 100 free at the Big Ten Championships... also scored team points for Purdue by reaching the B final of the 50 and 200 free at Big Tens... also swam the anchor leg on the 400 medley relay team at Big Tens that posted a Purdue season-best time... the 200 free relay team posted its season-best time at the Ohio State Last Chance meet... helped the 400 relay team win the event while finishing second in the 100 and third in 200 free individually in the dual meet with Indiana... swam the anchor leg for the victorious 800 free relay team at the Big Ten Quad... was the Boilers' standout performer as the team won the Purdue Invitational, winning the 100 and 200 free individually and helping Purdue sweep the freestyle relays... was among the eight swimmers selected to travel to Dallas for the SMU Classic in January, competing in the 100 and 200 free and 100 fly.
2009-10: Academic All-Big Ten...CSCAA All-Academic Honorable Mention...moved to third on Purdue's all-time performance list in 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle...50 freestyle time of 19.93 came during preliminary swim at Big Ten Championships (2/25)...100 freestyle clocking of 43.64 was recorded while swimming first leg on seventh-place 400 freestyle relay team at conference championships (2/27)...swam second leg on 800 freestyle relay that moved to second on program's all-time performance list with 6:32.30 clocking at Big Ten Championships (2/24)...anchored 200 medley relay that moved to fifth on all-time Purdue list by touching wall in 1:29.03 in conference championship opening event...scored points for eighth-place finish in 50 freestyle and 11th-place showing in 100 freestyle at Big Ten Championships...anchored 200 freestyle relay to eighth-place points as well...opened season with three straight 50 freestyle wins and victories in four of first five 100 freestyle races...added another 100 freestyle win vs. Michigan State (1/8) and took 200 freestyle win vs. Spartans one day later...also anchored 400 medley relay, 800 freestyle relay and 200 medley relay quartets to wins vs. Spartans...won 200 freestyle at Eastern Michigan (11/13)...anchored victorious 200 freestyle relay at Indiana Intercollegiates (10/10) and triumphant 400 freestyle relay (11/14) and victorious 800 freestyle relay (11/13) at Eastern Michigan...anchored 200 medley relay to victory at Indiana (2/6) and 400 medley relay to win vs. Northwestern (11/7)...anchored 800-meter freestyle relay to seventh-place finish at ConocoPhillips U.S. National Championships (8/6)...also took final leg on 14th-place 400 medley relay (8/7) and 16th-place 400 freestyle relay (8/3).
2008-09: Swam third leg on Purdue's school-record 200 freestyle relay, second leg on school-record 400 freestyle relay and third leg on school-record 800 freestyle relay...200 freestyle relay finished second in 1:17.91, shattering previous record of 1:19.50 set in 1998, at Big Ten Championships (2/26)...400 freestyle relay finished fourth in 2:54.31, breaking previous record of 2:56.29 set in 2008, at Big Ten Championships (2/28)...800 freestyle relay clocked 6:29.71 to break previous record of 6:34.63 set in 2007 at Big Ten Championships (2/27)...broke Purdue's freshman record and moved to third on school's all-time performance list in 200 freestyle with 1:37.50 time at Big Ten Championships (2/27)...recorded season-best 50 freestyle time of 20.59 at Big Ten Championships (2/26)...earned personal-best long-course times of 51.86 in 100 freestyle (8/5) and 1:53.34 in 200 freestyle (8/7) at U.S. Open National Championships...won 100 freestyle in 46.76 and finished second in 200 freestyle with 1:43.82 time at Indiana Intercollegiates in first collegiate meet (10/18)...also anchored second-place 200 freestyle relay...anchored victorious 400 medley and 400 freestyle relays vs. Miami (10/31)...also finished second in 50 freestyle with 21.40 time and fourth in 500 freestyle after touching wall in 4:45.81...finished second in 100 freestyle with 46.52 time and placed third in 200 freestyle with 1:41.85 clocking at Northwestern (11/7)...finished third in 200 freestyle with 1:42.03 time and in 50 freestyle with 21.73 clocking at Notre Dame (11/8)...also placed fourth in 100 freestyle with 47.10 time...swam second leg on victorious 200 freestyle relay and finished third in 200 backstroke with 1:57.63 time at Purdue Challenge (11/14)...also finished second in 200 freestyle in 1:41.57 and third in 50 freestyle with 21.38 time (11/15)...swam third leg on sixth-place 200 freestyle relay, anchored seventh-place 400 medley relay, finished 22nd in 500 freestyle with 4:39.62 time and placed 28th in 50 freestyle with 21.31 clocking at Art Adamson Invitational (11/21)...also swam third leg on fifth-place 800 freestyle relay and finished 23rd in 200 freestyle with 1:42.13 time (11/22) and swam third leg on fourth-place 400 freestyle relay and finished 22nd in 100 freestyle with 46.32 time (11/23)...finished second in 50 freestyle with 21.75 time in triple dual at Florida Atlantic (1/10)...anchored second-place 200 freestyle relay and sixth-place 400 medley relay and finished seventh in 100 freestyle with 46.47 time in Big Ten Duals at Minnesota (1/30)...also swam second leg on runner-up 400 freestyle relay, finished sixth in 200 freestyle with 1:42.53 time and anchored sixth-place 200 medley relay (1/31)...anchored fourth-place 400 freestyle relay and fifth-place 400 medley relay vs. Indiana (2/7)...also finished sixth in 200 freestyle with 1:40.50 time and in 100 freestyle after stopping clock in 45.73
High School: Graduated from Westfield High School in 2008 ... state champion, all-state and All-American in both 100 free and 200 free his last two years ... swam both events with a broken right foot his senior year ... All-American in the 50 free as a senior ... as a sophomore, named all-state and All-American in the 100 free ... won Team MVP Award in both his sophomore and junior seasons ... earned team's Mental Attitude Award as a freshman ... teams won 2008 SCY Indiana Senior State and 2008 LCM Indiana Senior State ... member of 400 medley relay team that placed fourth at Junior Nationals in 2007 ... finished fourth in 400 free relay and sixth in 800 free relay at 2008 Junior Nationals ... won the St. Vincent Spirit of Sport Award ... member of the Naitional Honor Society.
Personal: Given name is Benjamin Sterling Wachtel ... born March 26, 1990 ... son of Roger and Jeanette Wachtel ... has one older brother, Thomas, and one younger brother, Josh ... majoring in computer graphics technology.