2018-19 / AS A SENIOR
• Academic All-Big Ten
• USA Diving Winter Trials Silver Medalist (1-Meter)
• NCAA Championships Qualifier (1-Meter, 3-Meter)
• Competed in the springboard events throughout the season and also competed on platform at the Big Ten Championships
• Qualified for the NCAA Championships on both 1-meter and 3-meter, becoming Purdue’s first male diver to be a four-time NCAAs qualifier
• Joined Casey Matthews as the only Purdue divers overall all to accomplish the 4-for-4 on qualifying for NCAAs
• Finished his career third all-time on 3-meter (483.50) and fourth on 1-meter (439.20)
• Posted season-best scores on 1-meter (399.25) and platform (315.55) at Big Tens
• Season best on 3-meter (405.70) was at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge while finishing second of 12
• Placed fifth on both springboard events at Zones to qualify for NCAAs
• Finished 18th on 3-meter and 22nd on 1-meter at the national championship meet
• Scored in all three diving events at Big Tens for the second time in his career, accounting for 48 team points
• Accounted for 224 team points during his career at Big Tens, most among active Boilermakers when he graduated
• Qualified for at least one championship final all four years at Big Tens
• Placed fifth in the A championship final of 1-meter and second in the consolation final of 3-meter at his final Big Tens
• Swept the springboard events in the dual meet at Notre Dame
• Finished sixth on 1-meter as a finalist at the Texas Hall of Fame Diving Invitational
• Victorious on 1-meter at the season-opening Indiana Intercollegiates
2017-18 / AS A JUNIOR
• Honorable Mention All-America (1-Meter)
• NCAA Championships Qualifier (1-Meter & 3-Meter)
• Academic All-Big Ten
• Competed in the springboard diving events
• Posted season-best scores on 1-meter (435.35) and 3-meter (483.50) at the Big Ten Championships
• Improved on his third-best score in program history on 3-meter and remains fourth on 1-meter
• Finished fourth on 1-meter at Zones to qualify for the NCAA Championships for a third straight year
• At Big Tens, finished fourth on 1-meter and fifth on 3-meter to account for 51 team points
• Victorious on 1-meter at the Purdue Invitational, accounting for 24 team points at the meet
• Swept the springboard events in the dual meet victory vs. Michigan State
2016-17 / AS A SOPHOMORE
• All-America (1-Meter)
• World University Games Qualifier (1-Meter for Team USA)
• NCAA Championships Qualifier (1-Meter)
• Academic All-Big Ten
• Excelled in springboard diving all season
• Placed sixth in the championship final of 1-meter at NCAAs to help the Boilermakers finish 13th at the national championship meet
• Qualified for the championship final of both springboard diving events at the Big Ten Championships to account for 49 points, ranking fourth on the team
• Posted career-best scores on both 1-meter (439.2, 4th) and 3-meter (452.55, 3rd) at Big Tens, moving up the Purdue all-time top 10
• Finished 5th on 1-meter at the Zone C Championships to qualify for NCAAs
• Fourth-place finish on 3-meter at USA Diving's World Championships trials helped him earn berth at the World University Games
• Finalist in both springboard events at the USA Diving Winter Nationals to help Purdue win the team scoring title
• 3-meter finalist at USA Diving National Championships in August
• Finished second behind Steele Johnson in both springboard events at IUPUI's House of Champions Invitational, where he also posted his season-best score on platform (317.2)
• Also the runner-up in both springboard events in dual meets vs. Miami (Ohio) and Michigan State
2015-16 / AS A FRESHMAN
• Honorable Mention All-America (3-Meter Diving)
• NCAA Championships Qualifier (1-Meter and 3-Meter Diving)
• U.S. Olympic Team Trials Qualifier (3-Meter Diving)
• Big Ten Silver Medalist (1-Meter Diving)
• Second Team All-Big Ten
• Two-time Big Ten Diver of the Week (Nov. 11 and Dec. 23)
• Six-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week
• Purdue's top springboard diver in 2015-16 but also competed from the platforms at the Big Ten Championships and Zones
• Runner-up on 1-meter at Big Tens to claim all-conference honors
• Recognized as the team's co-MVP
• Qualified for the A finals of all three diving events at Big Tens to account for a team-high 76 points
• Also took fifth on 3-meter and seventh on platform at Big Tens
• Finished 14th on 3-meter and 17th on 1-meter at the NCAA Championships
• Placed 12th on 3-meter as a finalist at the Olympic Trials
• Season-best scores on 1-meter (401.10) and 3-meter (439.70) already placed him fourth in program history
• Runner-up in the springboard events at the Zone C Championships to clinch his NCAAs berths
• His six Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors tied teammate Steele Johnson for the most in the conference since the league added the honor to its weekly awards program midway through the 2011-12 season
• Ranked second on the team with 10 individual event victories
• Posted his season-best scores on 1-meter and platform (357.00) at the Big Ten Championships
• Swept the springboard events at the Purdue Invitational, posting his season-best score on 3-meter and accounting for 40 team points
• Also swept the springboard events at the Indiana Intercollegiates and dual meets vs. Miami (Ohio), Iowa and Eastern Michigan
• Victorious on 3-meter at the Big Ten Triple Duals
• Finished 13th on platform at Zones to narrowly miss out on qualifying for NCAAs in all three diving events
• Finalist in both 3-meter and synchronized 3-meter at the USA Diving Winter Nationals to clinch an Olympic Trials berth and claim Big Ten Diver of the Week honors
• Also was the Diver of the Week after his springboard sweep vs. Iowa
HIGH SCHOOL
• Four-year varsity letterwinner at Marian Catholic High School in suburban Chicago
• Two-time Illinois state champion as an upperclassman
• Four-year All-American
• Established a new Illinois high school record as a senior
• Three-time first team all-state after also finishing as the runner-up as a sophomore
• Won silver at 2015 Junior Nationals after posting a pair of top-10 finishes at the same meet a year earlier
• Third team all-state as a freshman after finishing 10th at state
PERSONAL
• Major: Mass Communication
• Full name is Joseph Michael Cifelli
• Born in Chicago Heights, Illinois
• Parents are John and Sylvia Cifelli
• Family also includes older brothers John, Robert and Vincent
• His father played baseball at the University of New Mexico and his brother Rob played baseball at John Carroll University
• His aunt Mary Lou is a Purdue alumna
PURDUE PERSONAL PREFERENCES
Favorite Pro Team: Chicago Blackhawks
Favorite Coach: Adam Soldati
Favorite Aquatic Center (Other Than Purdue): IUPUI Natatorium
Diver He'd Like to Compete Against: Cao Yuan
Favorite Marquee Event: The Olympics
Would Like to Have Dinner With: Dave Zavesky
Unique Skill/Hidden Talent: "Can whistle like no other"
In His MP3 Player: Flume
Last Concert He Attended: Lollapalooza
Last Book He Read: David Boudia's Greater Than Gold
Favorite Actor & Actress: Will Ferrell & Melissa McCarthy
Favorite Movies to Watch on Team Bus: Harry Potter Series
Favorite TV Show: Game of Thrones
Favorite Month: June
Favorite Holiday: Christmas
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Dessert: Pizookie
Favorite Purdue Building: Aquatic Center
Favorite Big City: Chicago
Unique Travel Locale: St. Croix
Country He'd Like to Visit: Italy
Favorite Outdoor Activity: Hiking
Another Sport He Enjoys Playing: Basketball
Favorite Thing About the Boilermaker Aquatic Center: The Diving Well
Most Memorable Meet at Purdue: 2016 Big Ten Championships
Enjoyed This Professor's Class: Beth Towle, English
Furry Friend: Jack, Mixed Breed Dog