Rosters: Big Ten / U.S. National Team /// Live Results / Live Video / Buy Tickets/Meet Central
MEET INFORMATION
USA College Challenge / Big Ten vs. USA Swimming National Team
Marat Amaltdinov, Kaersten Meitz, Adam Noens and Emmy Rawson representing Purdue
Saturday, Nov. 12 at 4:30 p.m. ET / Big Ten Network, BTN2Go
Sunday, Nov. 13 at 11:30 a.m. ET / Big Ten Network, BTN2Go
IU Natatorium / Indianapolis, Indiana
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue will be represented by four swimmers at the inaugural USA College Challenge this weekend in Indianapolis as they race for the Big Ten team against the U.S. National Team at the two-day meet televised live by the Big Ten Network.
The Purdue men will be represented by Marat Amaltdinov and Adam Noens. Kaersten Meitz and Emmy Rawson were selected to represent the Purdue women. Amaltdinov will compete in the breaststroke events and Noens is entered in the 400 individual medley. Meitz is expected to be part of the distance freestyle events and Rawson will likely be in the 200 butterfly.
Action at the IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI begins at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday and 11:30 a.m. Sunday. The telecasts of the meet will also be streamed live on BTN2Go and USAswimming.org. It will be short course meet with 25-yard lengths of the pool. There will be only one heat for each gender per event.
"I'm really excited to do something new," Meitz said. "I think it's really cool I'll get to meet other Big Ten swimmers as well as swimmers on the national team. Getting to compete against those higher-level swimmers will help prepare us for the Virginia Tech meet next week and then Big Tens and NCAAs at the end of the season."
Amaltdinov will be part of the 400 medley relay to begin the meet Saturday. Meitz would be a strong candidate for the 400 and 800 free relays as well. However, the 800 free relay is preceded by the 500 free relay, making it perhaps unlikely that she would be asked to swim the events back-to-back.
.@Kaerstenmtz & @Alexacrystal13 discuss what it takes to be a successful distance swimmer & the countdown to Xmas. https://t.co/Gi9hTvMiEb
-- Purdue Swimming (@PurdueWSwim) November 10, 2016
The Big Ten rosters were compiled using the top times among active student-athletes from the 2016 Big Ten Championships or NCAA Championships. However, because there were some college standouts that redshirted in 2015-16 due it to being the front end of an Olympic year, times for those swimmers from the 2015 Big Ten or NCAA Championships were also considered. Lastly, incoming freshmen with short-course times that ranked among the best in the league were also eligible. Each men's and women's team has at least two swimmers on the Big Ten roster.
Meanwhile, a few active college swimmers that compete in different conferences will compete for U.S. National Team this weekend. But 2016 Olympians that are currently part of Big Ten teams will compete for the college squad.
Michigan's Mike Bottom and Minnesota's Kelly Kramer will coach the women's Big Ten team this weekend. Indiana's Ray Looze and Ohio State's Bill Wadley will do likewise on the men's side. The coaches of the top-finishing teams at the 2016 Big Ten Championships were granted the honor. Purdue men's head coach Dan Ross helped conceive the meet and was given the responsibility of compiling the men's team based on the aforementioned top times. In his 32nd year, Ross is the dean of all Big Ten swim coaches as well as Purdue coaches.
Meitz and Rawson are among the 18 women on the Big Ten roster that competed at the 2016 NCAA Championships. Meitz (500 free) is among the more elite group of 11 swimmers that also earned All-America honors in an individual event last season.
Amaltdinov (200 breaststroke) is among the six men on the Big Ten roster to win a conference title at the 2016 Big Ten Championships held at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center. Noens (400 IM) is also among a group of six men on the roster to win a B final at the conference championships last season.
.@Alexacrystal13 features Marat Amaltdinov in the latest Behind the Blocks. Find out what's his fave American meal. https://t.co/RFTrm9deGs
-- Purdue Swim-Dive (@PurdueMSwimDive) November 10, 2016
As in-state products, Noens (Lawrence Central HS) and Rawson (Muncie Central HS) are quite familiar with the IU Natatorium in Downtown Indianapolis. They're among the six Indiana natives on the Big Ten roster this weekend, but Noens is the only one who hails from Indianapolis. At the annual Indiana Senior State/SwimFest long-course meet held primarily at IUPUI's pool this past summer, Amaltdinov won the 100 breast and Noens posted top-five finishes in the 200 IM, 100 backstroke and 200 breast.
Amaltdinov (200 breast, 1:52.67), Meitz (500 free, 4:39.75) and Rawson (200 fly, 1:56.52) are Purdue record holders.
Among the 2016 Olympians expected to swim in Indianapolis are medalists Lilly King, Cody Miller, Blake Pieroni, Cierra Runge, Tom Shields, Leah Smith, Amanda Weir and Kelsi Worrell. Other Olympians slated to race include Jacob Pebley and Jordan Wilimovsky. Miller, Pebley, Shields, Smith, Weir and Worrell will swim for Team USA, while current student-athletes King, Pieroni, Runge and Wilimovsky are on the Big Ten roster.
PURDUE SCHEDULE AT USA COLLEGE CHALLENGE
Saturday; Action Begins at 4:30 p.m.
400 Medley Relay -- Marat Amaltdinov
400 IM -- Adam Noens
200 Breast -- Marat Amaltdinov
500 Free -- Kaersten Meitz*
800 Free Relay -- Kaersten Meitz*
Sunday; Action Begins at 11:30 a.m.
1000 Free -- Kaersten Meitz*
100 Breast -- Marat Amaltdinov
200 Fly -- Emmy Rawson*
400 Free Relay -- Kaersten Meitz*
*To be confirmed