Jan. 10, 2004
TEMPE, Ariz. - Purdue men's swimming and diving coach Dan Ross said his team swam "light years better" than it did Friday against Arizona, but the Boilermakers still couldn't find their way past the No. 13 Arizona State Sun Devils Saturday afternoon, falling 180-120.
Purdue's dual record now stands at 3-4, with all four losses coming to nationally-ranked opposition.
"I thought we had a real good dual meet, but we just couldn't get over the hump," said Ross. "We swam in short course meters and achieved what we wanted to from a training standpoint, since it prepares us for the NCAA Championships, but we still need to work on our turns."
Tamas Bessenyei, Steuart Martens, Louis Paul and Giordan Pogioli all scored wins for the Boilermakers, with Pogioli and Bessenyei swapping one-two finishes in the 100 and 200-meter breaststroke.
In the 100 breast, Bessenyei and Pogioli made it a race of their own, with the senior edging out his sophomore cohort 1:02.40 to 1:02.99. The remainder of the field, led by Arizona State's Emerson Ward, all finished more than a second behind the Boilermaker duo.
It was a different story in the 200 breast as Pogioli touched the wall almost three seconds before Bessenyei. Pogioli's winning time was clocked at 2:15.50 while Bessenyei came across in 2:18.34. Bessenyei and Pogioli have been an elite tandem this season, accounting for a combined 10 victories through both breaststroke races.
Paul extended his modest winning streak in capturing the 200 individual medley crown for a second consecutive day. The junior trailed Arizona State's Evan Rahaeuser early in the race, but Paul stormed back and edged his Sun Devil adversary by .56 seconds. Paul has had a solid season competing in the 200 IM, complete with four wins and no finish lower than third.
Paul was one of the Boilermakers' top point scorers. In addition to his triumph in the 200 IM, he finished as the runner up in both backstroke competitions and in the meet-opening 200 medley relay. Paul was accompanied on the relay by Bessenyei, Ignatius Goh and Andre Pereira.
Pereira and Goh also would go on to receive silver-medal status in the 200 free relay along with John Arzner and Trey Smith. Goh's individual efforts carried him to a second-place showing in the 100 fly (56.89) and a third-place finish in the 50 free (23.63).
For a second straight day, the butterfly proved to be one of Purdue's best events. In addition to Goh's success in the 100 fly, Blake Scholz placed third in the 100 (57.37) and second in the 200 fly (2:03.73). Freshman Mark Enoch also looked strong in the 200 fly, capturing a third-place mark of 2:07.79.
Martens, who suffered two second-place finishes Friday, took top honors in the 400 free, coming across in 4:03.55. The junior's time was over three seconds faster than Arizona State's Jeff Barrett, who clocked a time of 4:06.83. Martens also had a nice run in the 800 free, scoring a second-place mark of 8:29.25.
Freshman Mark Wolfred came in behind Martens in both mid-distance races, securing third-place showings in each event. Wolfred's 800 free time was clocked at 8:35.65, and his 400 free time was marked at 4:07.75. Eric Prugh also captured a pair of bronze-medal finishes, recording a 1:53.00 in the 200 free and a 2:08.81 in the 200 IM.
Diver Clayton Davis was Purdue's top performer for a second straight meet. The junior led the Boilermakers with a second-place score of 314.10 off the 1-meter springboard and a fourth-place mark of 290.15 off the 3-meter springboard. Arizona State's Joona Puhakka swept the diving competition, recording scores of 358.90 (1-meter) and 332.65 (3-meter).
The men's team continues its busy schedule next weekend with home duals against Big Ten rivals No. 6 Michigan (Jan. 16) and Michigan State (Jan. 17). The Boilermakers dual with the Spartans is a co-ed affair and will double as Senior Day since it is the last regular season home meet for both the men's and women's squads.