Complete Academic All-District Teams / Marat Feature
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - For the third year in a row, two-time Purdue graduate and Big Ten breaststroke champion Marat Amaltdinov has been named Google Cloud Academic All-District.
Amaltdinov graduated with his master's degree in finance this month after earning his bachelor's degree in just three years. He compiled an undergraduate grade-point average of 3.81 while majoring in economics with concentrations in finance analytical consulting. He finished his graduate coursework with a 3.67 GPA. His academic accomplishments were achieved even with English as a second language.
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.
Last year, Amaltdinov was named a second team Academic All-America honoree, becoming Purdue's first men's swimmer to earn such a distinction since fellow Big Ten breaststroke champion Giordan Pogioli in 2006.
Amaltdinov has a job lined up the in U.S. as a financial analyst. His application for permanent residency has also been approved.
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 also went on to earn Academic All-America acclaim, but Amaltdinov would be the first student-athlete from the swimming & diving programs to be a multiple-time Academic All-America honoree.
Amaltdinov is a program record holder in the 400 medley relay. He won Big Ten titles in the 200 breast in 2016 and 2017. By repeating as the Big Ten champion, the Russian 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 qualified for the NCAA Championships for the fourth straight year this season. He was an All-American in the 200 breast in 2017 after forgoing his invite to the national championship meet a year earlier to train for the Russian Olympic Trials.
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.
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 five swimmers on the men's Academic All-District 5 team, joining Southern Illinois' Chris Cole, Eastern Illinois' Steve Fishman, Michigan's PJ Ransford and Xavier's Alex Wolfred. Wolfred's father Rich as well as numerous other family members are Purdue swimming alumni.