Men's At-Large Academic All-District Teams
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - All-American and two-time Big Ten breaststroke champion Marat Amaltdinov of Purdue men's swimming & diving has been named Academic All-District for the second year in a row.
Amaltdinov is a finance major with a 3.81 grade-point average. The Russian has compiled the impressive GPA through the end of his junior season despite English being his second language. He's graduating with his bachelor's degree this weekend and beginning a master's program in finance at Purdue this summer.
After being among the regional honorees in District 5, Amaltdinov advances to the national ballot from which the Academic All-America teams are selected. District 5 includes universities in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.
The Boilermakers' 200-yard breaststroke record holder joins Jamie Bissett (three times from 2013-15) and Lauren Gustafson (2011, 2013) as members of Purdue swimming & diving to be multiple-time Academic All-District honorees. Bissett and Gustafson both went on to earn Academic All-America acclaim the second time they were named All-District.
Amaltdinov finished seventh in the 200 breaststroke at the NCAA Championships, earning his first career All-America honor and becoming Purdue's first men's swimmer to be a full-fledged All-American (top 8) since 2006. He helped the Boilermakers finish in 13th place at the national championship meet, matching the program's highest finish in the modern era.
By repeating as the Big Ten champion in the 200 breast, Amaltdinov became the first Purdue swimmer to accomplish the feat in any event since Louis Paul won three straight 200 individual medley titles from 2003 to 2005.
Amaltdinov led all Purdue swimmers with 12 individual event victories this season. The conference title earned him first team All-Big Ten honors again. He was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Week for the fourth time in his career (Nov. 2) and helped the Boilermakers establish a new program record in the 400 medley relay at the Big Ten Championships.
Unlike many team sports, swimming and diving is part of the at-large group for the Academic All-District and All-America program. Each school is permitted to nominate only three male and three female student-athletes for consideration from sports like swimming & diving, tennis, golf, wrestling, ice hockey and others. Nominees must be sophomores and above with a GPA of 3.30 and higher. Golfers August Kim and Austin Eoff, tennis players Andjela Djokovic and Gergely Madarasz, and swimmer Grace Hernandez were also nominated by Purdue Athletics this year.
Purdue swimming & diving has now had at least one Academic All-District honoree for eight straight years. Along with Amaltdinov, Bissett and Gustafson, Lauren Roth (2012), Matt Stewart (2011), Allie Smith (2011), David Colturi (2010) and Christine Inman (2010) have also been recognized during that streak.
Amaltdinov was one of four swimmers on the men's Academic All-District 5 team, joining Cincinnati's Connor Davis, Michigan's PJ Ransford and Cleveland State's Philipp Sikatzk.