WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue swimming & diving and the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center have been selected to host the inaugural ACC/Big Ten Challenge, a two-day all-star meet set for Nov. 10 to 11.
Every Big Ten and ACC university that sponsors swimming & diving will be represented at the meet, which will feature short-course yardage events and a two-day dual meet format. Though there could be multiple heats of many events, each event will only be contested one time per gender over the two days.
Start times along with ticket and television broadcast information will be available in the near future. Georgia Tech is tentatively slated to host the 2019 ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
In a similar format to the successful to the USA College Challenge, a running score will be kept throughout the dual meet competition combining the points earned by both women and men. Team scoring will be used to determine a winner of the all-star meet. Scoring will mirror NCAA dual meet parameters.
Swimming student-athletes will be determined using a similar selection process to that of the College Challenge, where at least two males and two females from each institution will be designated to compete, but no more than five males and five females from each school will participate. Additionally, for divers, there will be no more than two males and two females from each school. The top returning performers from the 2018 conference championship meets and NCAA Championships will be among the first student-athlete selected.
Each athlete may be entered in up to six events during the meet, including individual events and relays. The ACC/Big Ten Challenge is expected to feature 19 events – 15 individual and four relays.
All seven of Purdue's returning divers – Joe Cifelli, Steele Johnson and Brandon Loschiavo for the men as well as Emily Bretscher, Emily Meaney, Morgan Meixner and Lexi Vincent for the women – are possibilities to be selected for the Big Ten team if the diving coaches opt to make platform an event along with 3-meter. The coaches were still discussing what diving events would be featured at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Taite Kitchel, Jinq En Phee, Joe Young, Nick McDowell and Trent Pellini are Purdue's top returning swimmers and the leading candidates for selection to the Big Ten team based on their performances during the 2017-18 season.
The 2016 USA College Challenge featured the Big Ten vs. the USA Swimming National Team at a two-day meet in Indianapolis in November of that season. Purdue was represented by swimmers Marat Amaltdinov, Kaersten Meitz, Adam Noens and Emmy Rawson. Divers were not included.
NC State won the ACC Men's Swimming & Diving Championship for the fourth straight year in the 2017-18 season, while Virginia earned the women's ACC title for the 10th time in 11 years. NC State's men's squad posted the best finish of any ACC team at the NCAA Championships with a fourth-place finish, and the Louisville women's team finished in fifth place at NCAAs. NC State's head coach Braden Holloway will coach the ACC men's team and will be assisted by Notre Dame head coach Mike Litzinger. On the women's side, Virginia's Todd Desorbo will coach the ACC women and will be assisted by Louisville's Arthur Albiero.
Michigan repeated as the women's Big Ten Conference Champions in the 2017-18 season, while the Indiana men claimed the 2017-18 title for the second consecutive year. At the NCAA Championships, Michigan led the conference with a fourth-place finish on the women's side and Indiana finished in third-place for the men. Michigan head coach Mike Bottom will lead the Big Ten women's team and be assisted by Ohio State's Bill Dorenkott. Indiana's Ray Looze will coach the Big Ten men and be assisted by Minnesota's Kelly Kremer.
All ACC and Big Ten coaches in attendance will be encouraged to participate and contribute to the challenge.
About the Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference, now in its 66th year of competition and 15 members strong, has long enjoyed the reputation as one of the strongest and most competitive intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest continue to build upon the cornerstones on which the league was founded in 1953 with a consistent balance of academics, athletics and integrity. The ACC currently sponsors 27 NCAA sports – 14 for women and 13 for men – with member institutions located in 10 states.
About the Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,500 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men's ice hockey and men's and women's lacrosse since 2013.
Every Big Ten and ACC university that sponsors swimming & diving will be represented at the meet, which will feature short-course yardage events and a two-day dual meet format. Though there could be multiple heats of many events, each event will only be contested one time per gender over the two days.
Start times along with ticket and television broadcast information will be available in the near future. Georgia Tech is tentatively slated to host the 2019 ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
In a similar format to the successful to the USA College Challenge, a running score will be kept throughout the dual meet competition combining the points earned by both women and men. Team scoring will be used to determine a winner of the all-star meet. Scoring will mirror NCAA dual meet parameters.
Swimming student-athletes will be determined using a similar selection process to that of the College Challenge, where at least two males and two females from each institution will be designated to compete, but no more than five males and five females from each school will participate. Additionally, for divers, there will be no more than two males and two females from each school. The top returning performers from the 2018 conference championship meets and NCAA Championships will be among the first student-athlete selected.
Each athlete may be entered in up to six events during the meet, including individual events and relays. The ACC/Big Ten Challenge is expected to feature 19 events – 15 individual and four relays.
All seven of Purdue's returning divers – Joe Cifelli, Steele Johnson and Brandon Loschiavo for the men as well as Emily Bretscher, Emily Meaney, Morgan Meixner and Lexi Vincent for the women – are possibilities to be selected for the Big Ten team if the diving coaches opt to make platform an event along with 3-meter. The coaches were still discussing what diving events would be featured at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Taite Kitchel, Jinq En Phee, Joe Young, Nick McDowell and Trent Pellini are Purdue's top returning swimmers and the leading candidates for selection to the Big Ten team based on their performances during the 2017-18 season.
The 2016 USA College Challenge featured the Big Ten vs. the USA Swimming National Team at a two-day meet in Indianapolis in November of that season. Purdue was represented by swimmers Marat Amaltdinov, Kaersten Meitz, Adam Noens and Emmy Rawson. Divers were not included.
NC State won the ACC Men's Swimming & Diving Championship for the fourth straight year in the 2017-18 season, while Virginia earned the women's ACC title for the 10th time in 11 years. NC State's men's squad posted the best finish of any ACC team at the NCAA Championships with a fourth-place finish, and the Louisville women's team finished in fifth place at NCAAs. NC State's head coach Braden Holloway will coach the ACC men's team and will be assisted by Notre Dame head coach Mike Litzinger. On the women's side, Virginia's Todd Desorbo will coach the ACC women and will be assisted by Louisville's Arthur Albiero.
Michigan repeated as the women's Big Ten Conference Champions in the 2017-18 season, while the Indiana men claimed the 2017-18 title for the second consecutive year. At the NCAA Championships, Michigan led the conference with a fourth-place finish on the women's side and Indiana finished in third-place for the men. Michigan head coach Mike Bottom will lead the Big Ten women's team and be assisted by Ohio State's Bill Dorenkott. Indiana's Ray Looze will coach the Big Ten men and be assisted by Minnesota's Kelly Kremer.
All ACC and Big Ten coaches in attendance will be encouraged to participate and contribute to the challenge.
About the Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference, now in its 66th year of competition and 15 members strong, has long enjoyed the reputation as one of the strongest and most competitive intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest continue to build upon the cornerstones on which the league was founded in 1953 with a consistent balance of academics, athletics and integrity. The ACC currently sponsors 27 NCAA sports – 14 for women and 13 for men – with member institutions located in 10 states.
About the Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,500 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men's ice hockey and men's and women's lacrosse since 2013.