Nov. 14, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Boilermaker women's swimming and diving team is off to a roaring start at the Purdue Challenge, winning all nine events on Friday night. Coach John Klinge's squad leads Eastern Michigan 129-35 through the first day.
Ashley Beal had a huge night on the 3-meter board for the Boilermakers, recording a 349.80. The mark is good for fourth all-time in program history. Ashley Karnes picked up second place with a score of 325.43.
Allie Smith and Kristen Gilson posted a 1-2 finish in the 200 IM. Smith clocked in 2:07.12, while Gilson tallied a 2:09.56.
Lauren Roth came on strong in the next event, however, taking the 500 free by more than seven seconds. Her time of 4:57.39 was good for the win, while Amy Gutwein finished third at 5:06.18.
"Amy had a lifetime best time in the 500 free. She's had a really hard training week, so to come out and get a lifetime best time is really impressive," Klinge said.
Jessica Davis and Christina Jacobs were strong in the 100 breast, finishing first and third, respectively. Davis won in 1:05.91, while Jacobs was right behind her at 1:06.63.
The 200 back might have been the event of the night, however. Purdue finished 1-2-3, with Smith (2:02.39), Gilson (2:03.71) and Katie Beck (2:06.82) sweeping the top spots.
"I thought we had a pretty solid night tonight, but we need to be a little more detail oriented across the board," Klinge said.
The second and final day of the Purdue Challenge begins at noon tomorrow at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center.