Oct. 25, 2003
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue men's swimming and diving team officially kicked off its season Saturday with a number of solid performances Saturday at the annual Indiana Intercollegiates meet at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center. The Boilermakers collected 700 points thanks to individual wins by Ignatius Goh, Kyle Jackson, Blake Scholz, Steve LoBue, Tamas Bessenyei and Louis Paul. The Old Gold and Black also won both relays.
Placing behind the Boilermakers were Ball State (495), IUPUI (214), Indianapolis (177), Butler (129), and Valparaiso (126).
The Boilermaker's all-star 200-yard medley relay team of Louis Paul, Tamas Bessenyei, Iggy Goh, and Kyle Jackson earned the gold medal with their time of 1:49.69. Closing the meet, with a win in the 200 free medley were Andre Pereira, Eric Prugh, John Arzner and Black Scholz, who touched in 1:26.05.
Individually, the Boilermakers showed their depth across the board as six different swimmers and divers won six different events. Paul, a 2003 NCAA Qualifier, placed first in the 100 free clocking a time of 46.73, while Jackson captured fourth with a 47.71. Goh picked up his win in the 50 free with a mark of 21.33 and had Pereira finishing not too far behind in third-place (21.74).
The Boilermakers took three of the top four spots in the 200 individual medley, with Jackson placing first for his second victory of the day (1:57.42), including the relay. Nick Cenci finished right behind Jackson with a time of 1:57.94, and Eric Prugh placed fourth touching at 1:58.10. Cenci, one of three team captains, was the only Boilermaker to medal in the 500 free, as he took second-place honors with a mark of 4:46.92.
LoBue captured the gold medal off the 1-meter board with his score of 323.55. Junior Clay Davis took third place (307.60), Josh Karshner placed fourth (280.10), and University of Alabama transfer J.R. Hillis finished fifth (262.20) in his Boilermaker debut. Later in the day off the 3-meter, Karshner led all Boilermakers with his second-place score of 287.45. LoBue (286.52), Hillis (278.85), and Davis (272.95) grabbed the fourth through sixth spots.
Also looking solid in his Boilermaker debut was freshman Luke Dickson, who copped a third-place showing in the 100 back, clocking in at 53.92. Placing behind Dickson was Prugh, who placed fourth in 54.13.
The Boilermakers have some time of to relax prior to their next meet, as they won't compete until Nov. 7 when they visit Iowa for a Big Ten dual meet. Purdue's next home meet is the three-day Purdue Invitational, which commences on Friday, Nov. 21 and runs through the 23rd.