Oct. 25, 2003
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's swimming and diving team opened its swimming and diving season Saturday hosting the Indiana Intercollegiates at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center. The Boilermakers dominated their interstate competition, winning with a tremendous point total of 736.5.
Placing far behind Purdue were Ball State (452), Indiana (335), Indianapolis (202.5), IUPUI (88), Butler (82), and Valparaiso (74).
For the second straight night, sophomore Erica Chandler led the way for the Boilermakers, grabbing two individual victories as well as sharing a victory with the 200-yard medley relay team. Chandler along with Brandy Keever, Jennifer Merte, and Christine Leupold established the Boilermakers' winning streak early in the afternoon with their time of 1:49.69. Chandler later scored a time of 4:58.11 in the 500 free and a 1:06.66 in the 100 breaststroke.
Leupold and Keever each went on to score individual victories of their own. Leupold placed first in the 200 free clocking a time of 1:52.01, leading a four-way Boilermaker sweep of the top-four positions. Following Leupold's lead were freshmen Susan Hentschel and Katharine Telfer, and sophomore Yvonne Laaper. Keever earned her victory in the 100 backstroke with a time of 58.70, with Telfer touching second at 59.19.
Hentschel rebounded in the 100 free, leading a five-way Purdue sweep with her mark of 52.06. Trailing the talented freshman, who also won the 200 free (1:35.61), were Leupold, Tracy Duchac, Kimbre Vogel, and Katie Seleskie. The Boilermaker women also grabbed a majority of the points in the 50 free, with Duchac touching first in 23.75 and Vogel clocking a third-place time of 24.24.
Purdue brooms were also brought over to the diving end of the aquatic center. In the 1-meter diving competition, Carrie McCambridge earned first-place with a score of 286.05. Fellow Boilermakers Bethany Jensen (269.45), Amanda Miller (242.80), and Lauren Whitmore (240.75) stole the next three spots.
McCambridge and company accomplished the same exact feat off the 3-meter. Again, it was McCambridge leading the pack with her first-place score of 292.50. Miller was very close in second place at 290.10, with Jensen (287.05) and Whitmore (267.05) holding the third and fourth places.
Senior captain Jenni Bean grabbed a silver medal in the 200 individual medley with her mark of 2:09.17. Placing behind the established veteran were Merte (4th - 2:10.12) and Autumn Sample (5th - 2:11.48).
To close the meet, the 200 free relay squad of Vogel, Hentschel, Seleskie and Duchac came through with a winning-time of 1:35.61.
Purdue's next competition is Wednesday, Oct. 29 for a dual meet at Miami (Ohio). The teams dive in at 4 p.m.