Oct. 10, 2009
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's swimming and diving team won the season-opening Indiana Intercollegiates after scoring 815 points Saturday afternoon inside the Boilermaker Aquatic Center.
"This was a really good opportunity for our younger swimmers to show what they can do," head coach John Klinge said. "We had a lot of swimmers that really raced hard. This is a good way to start the season, and it's a good way for us to evaluate where we are at this point of the year."
Freshman Lauren Nichols picked up wins in her first two collegiate races as she touched the wall in 23.60 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle and in 52.02 in the 100 freestyle. The Birmingham, Mich., native led a Boilermaker sweep of the top-five places in the shorter race and four of the top-five places in the longer distance.
Sophomore Lauren Roth led a Purdue sweep of the top-five finishers in the 200 freestyle with her victorious 1:52.29 swim. The Carrollton, Texas, native was followed by Kristen Gilson in 1:53.68, Leah Henninger in 1:54.06, Mary-Margaret Lopez in 1:56.20 and Jessica Skiba in 1:56.55.
Freshman Seraphina Van also made a splash in her first collegiate race. The Cypress, Texas, native beat the 200 IM field with her time of 2:07.37. Senior co-captain Christine Inman touched the wall in 2:12.43 for a third-place finish, and sophomore co-captain Christina Jacobs finished fifth in 2:13.64.
Junior Erin Mertz also picked up a win in her first meet as a Boilermaker. The transfer from Kansas, who earned All-America acclaim last season, scored 295.20 points to take top honors in the 3-meter. Junior Kara Cook, also an All-American, won the 1-meter with her score of 264.15 and was followed by Mertz, who finished second with 257.60 points.
Junior Katie Beck took the 100 butterfly title in 58.03. She was followed closely by Lopez, who touched the wall second in 58.07. Inman was fourth with her 58.44 clocking, and freshman Emily McIlrath finished sixth in 59.72.
Sophomore Kristen Gilson, Purdue's freshman record holder in the 200 backstroke, won the 100 backstroke in 58.65. Sophomore Sarah Dunleavy finished second with her time of 1:01.18 and was followed by senior Elizabeth Holmes in sixth with her 1:03.43 clocking and freshman Ellie Roeing in seventh in 1:03.59.
McIlrath added to the list of first-time winners when she outraced the 100 breaststroke field and took the win in 1:05.32. Junior Jessica Davis was second in 1:06.92, and freshman Megan Roach touched the wall in 1:07.47 for a third-place finish. Jacobs was fourth with her 1:07.66 time, and freshman Ellesse Lunde completed the top-five sweep by stopping the clock in 1:07.75.
The Boilermakers led off the meet with a victory in the 200 medley relay. Junior Allie Smith, Davis, Inman and Beck touched the wall in 1:47.27 to win the first race of the season. Purdue also won the final event of the day, the 200 freestyle relay, when Nichols, Roth, freshman Lauren Gustafson and Henninger recorded a 1:37.40 time.
Gustafson was second in the 50 freestyle in 24.16, while sophomore Sara Bogert took third in 24.50. Beck placed fourth in 24.62 and freshman Nora Brolsma was fifth in 25.04. Henninger swam to a second-place finish in the 100 freestyle after touching the wall in 52.92. She was immediately followed by Gustafson in 53.15. Bogert stopped the clock in 54.99 and finished fifth.
Skiba led the Boilermakers in the 500 freestyle with her second-place, 5:06.89 finish. Freshman Courtney Tumbush finished third in 5:07.38 and was immediately followed by Gutwein in 5:10.63 and freshman Katie Guell in 5:13.78.
Purdue won the Indiana Intercollegiates title for the eighth consecutive season. Evansville finished second with 373 points and was followed by Indianapolis' 297 total in third. IUPUI scored 178 to finish fourth, and Valparaiso was fifth with 104 points.
The Boilermakers return to the pool Oct. 23 when they travel to Miami University for a dual meet that starts at 5 p.m. ET.