WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Freshman Brady Samuels' breakout meet in which he scored in four individual events was a feat matched by classmate Maggie Love, headlining the combined 52 Boilermakers to score individually at the Purdue Invitational.
The Boilermakers won 10 events at the three-day swimming & diving showcase and the men also emerged victorious in team scoring, winning the Purdue Invite for the fifth time.
Olympians Nikola Aćin and Tyler Downs each won a pair of individual events. Aćin helped the Boilermakers sweep the 200 (1:17.12) and 400 freestyle relays (2:52.18), both quartets posting the No. 2 time in team history and top-10 marks nationally.
Downs led the way as Purdue won five of the six diving events. Fellow freshman Jordan Rzepka finished among the top three in all three diving events, winning on 1-meter.
EVENT VICTORIES AT THE 2021 PURDUE INVITE
• Nikola Aćin – 50 & 100 Freestyle
• Tyler Downs – 3-Meter & Platform Diving
• Emily (Bretscher) Pfeiffer – 3-Meter Diving
• Jordan Rzepka – 1-Meter Diving
• Brady Samuels – 100 Butterfly
• Maycey Vieta – Platform Diving
• Men's 200 Freestyle Relay – Samuels, Hrosik, Muhammad, Aćin
• Men's 400 Freestyle Relay – Hart, Samuels, Aćin, Sherman
Samuels coupled his record-setting victory in the 100 butterfly with runner-up showings in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 backstroke. He accounted for 71 team points, 17 more than any other Boilermaker. His Purdue record time (45.66) in the 100 fly stands as the best in the Big Ten this season. Samuels also posted freshman records in the 100 free (42.93) and 100 backstroke (46.68).
Love also demonstrated her versatility by scoring in the 100 and 200 back, 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley. By accounting for 29 team points, she ranked fourth on the women's roster. Classmate Hannah Hill set a freshman record in the 50 free (23.02) as an A finalist in the event.
Fourteen members of the men's team scored in at least three individual events. Greg Duncan, Nick Sherman, Brett Riley joined Samuels, Aćin and Rzepka as Boilermakers to qualify for three A finals or finish among the top 8 in diving.
On the women's side, Emily (Bretscher) Pfeiffer medaled on both springboards to lead the way with 36 team points. A pair of fourth-place finishes in the distance events for Kate Beavon helped make her the top scorer among the women's swimmers.
As a Big Ten champion in the 50 free and silver medalist in the 100 fly when Purdue hosted the conference championship meet in 2009, Andrew Langenfeld had held both program records for more than a decade. But both records fell over the first two days of the Purdue Invitational. While winning the 50 free Thursday in 19.31, Aćin added the team benchmark to the 100 free and four relay records he already owns. The following day, Samuels broke the 100 fly record in the prelims and lowered it again while winning the A final. Earlier this month, he took down the 100 fly freshman record that had stood since 2006.
Meanwhile, Downs impressed in his collegiate debut on the tower. The 3-meter Olympian was victorious by 103 points with a list score of 476.50 that is believed to be No. 1 nationally by a wide margin. He scored no lower than 69 points on any of his six dives, highlighted by big scores of 88.4 and 89.6 in rounds 4 and 5. The freshman already ranks fourth in program history behind only NCAA champions David Boudia, Steele Johnson and Brandon Loschiavo.
After a winter training camp during the semester break on campus, Purdue is slated to resume its competition schedule Saturday, Jan. 20 with a co-ed dual at Indiana. In the meantime, the Purdue divers are slated to compete at the USA Diving Winter Nationals the week of Dec. 13 to 18 in Bloomington, Indiana.
The Boilermakers won 10 events at the three-day swimming & diving showcase and the men also emerged victorious in team scoring, winning the Purdue Invite for the fifth time.
Olympians Nikola Aćin and Tyler Downs each won a pair of individual events. Aćin helped the Boilermakers sweep the 200 (1:17.12) and 400 freestyle relays (2:52.18), both quartets posting the No. 2 time in team history and top-10 marks nationally.
Downs led the way as Purdue won five of the six diving events. Fellow freshman Jordan Rzepka finished among the top three in all three diving events, winning on 1-meter.
EVENT VICTORIES AT THE 2021 PURDUE INVITE
• Nikola Aćin – 50 & 100 Freestyle
• Tyler Downs – 3-Meter & Platform Diving
• Emily (Bretscher) Pfeiffer – 3-Meter Diving
• Jordan Rzepka – 1-Meter Diving
• Brady Samuels – 100 Butterfly
• Maycey Vieta – Platform Diving
• Men's 200 Freestyle Relay – Samuels, Hrosik, Muhammad, Aćin
• Men's 400 Freestyle Relay – Hart, Samuels, Aćin, Sherman
Samuels coupled his record-setting victory in the 100 butterfly with runner-up showings in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 backstroke. He accounted for 71 team points, 17 more than any other Boilermaker. His Purdue record time (45.66) in the 100 fly stands as the best in the Big Ten this season. Samuels also posted freshman records in the 100 free (42.93) and 100 backstroke (46.68).
Love also demonstrated her versatility by scoring in the 100 and 200 back, 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley. By accounting for 29 team points, she ranked fourth on the women's roster. Classmate Hannah Hill set a freshman record in the 50 free (23.02) as an A finalist in the event.
Fourteen members of the men's team scored in at least three individual events. Greg Duncan, Nick Sherman, Brett Riley joined Samuels, Aćin and Rzepka as Boilermakers to qualify for three A finals or finish among the top 8 in diving.
On the women's side, Emily (Bretscher) Pfeiffer medaled on both springboards to lead the way with 36 team points. A pair of fourth-place finishes in the distance events for Kate Beavon helped make her the top scorer among the women's swimmers.
| BOILERMAKERS' TOP 5 INDIVIDUAL SCORERS AT THE PURDUE INVITATIONAL | |
| MEN 1.) Brady Samuels – 71 Points 100 Fly – Won A Final (20 Points) 50 Free – 2nd in A Final (17 Points) 100 Free – 2nd in A Final (17 Points) 100 Back – 2nd in A Final (17 Points) 2.) Nikola Aćin – 54 Points 50 Free – Won A Final (20 Points) 100 Free – Won A Final (20 Points) 100 Back – 5th in A Final (14 Points) 3.) Jordan Rzepka – 53 Points 1-Meter – Event Winner (20 Points) 3-Meter – 2nd in Final (17 Points) Platform – 3rd in Final (16 Points) 4.) Greg Duncan – 46 Points 1-Meter – 2nd in Final (17 Points) 3-Meter – 3rd in Final (16 Points) Platform – 6th in Final (13 Points) 5.) Nick Sherman – 45 Points 200 IM – 2nd in A Final (17 Points) 100 Fly – 4th in A Final (15 Points) 100 Free – 6th in A Final (13 Points) |
WOMEN 1.) Emily (Bretscher) Pfeiffer – 36 Pts 3-Meter – Event Winner (20 Points) 1-Meter – 3rd in Final (16 Points) 2.) Kate Beavon – 33 Points 500 Free – 4th in A Final (15 Points) 1650 Free – 4th Overall (15 Points) 200 Free – 6th in B Final (3 Points) 3.) Maggie Merriman – 31 Points Platform – 2nd in Final (17 Points) 3-Meter – 5th in Final (14 Points) 4.) Maggie Love – 29 Points 100 Breast – 8th in A Final (11 Points) 200 IM – 2nd in B Final (7 Points) 200 Back – 3rd in B Final (6 Points) 100 Back – 4th in B Final (5 Points) 5.) Jenna Sonnenberg – 26 Points 3-Meter – 7th in Final (12 Points) 1-Meter – 5th in Final (14 Points) |
As a Big Ten champion in the 50 free and silver medalist in the 100 fly when Purdue hosted the conference championship meet in 2009, Andrew Langenfeld had held both program records for more than a decade. But both records fell over the first two days of the Purdue Invitational. While winning the 50 free Thursday in 19.31, Aćin added the team benchmark to the 100 free and four relay records he already owns. The following day, Samuels broke the 100 fly record in the prelims and lowered it again while winning the A final. Earlier this month, he took down the 100 fly freshman record that had stood since 2006.
Meanwhile, Downs impressed in his collegiate debut on the tower. The 3-meter Olympian was victorious by 103 points with a list score of 476.50 that is believed to be No. 1 nationally by a wide margin. He scored no lower than 69 points on any of his six dives, highlighted by big scores of 88.4 and 89.6 in rounds 4 and 5. The freshman already ranks fourth in program history behind only NCAA champions David Boudia, Steele Johnson and Brandon Loschiavo.
After a winter training camp during the semester break on campus, Purdue is slated to resume its competition schedule Saturday, Jan. 20 with a co-ed dual at Indiana. In the meantime, the Purdue divers are slated to compete at the USA Diving Winter Nationals the week of Dec. 13 to 18 in Bloomington, Indiana.
| BOILERMAKERS' TOP-SCORING INDIVIDUAL EVENTS AT THE PURDUE INVITATIONAL | |
| MEN 1.) 50 Free – 80 Points 2.) 100 Free – 79 Points 3.) 100 Fly – 76 Points 4.) 3-Meter Diving – 74 Points 5.) Platform Diving – 64 Points |
WOMEN 1.) 3-Meter Diving – 46 Points 2.) Platform Diving – 37 Points 3.) 1-Meter Diving – 30 Points T-4.) 200 Free – 27 Points T-4.) 200 Fly – 27 Points |
| TOP 10 IN THE BIG TEN (SWIMMING EVENTS) | ||||
| Boilermaker | Event | Time | Big Ten Rank | National Rank |
| Brady Samuels | 100 Fly | 45.66 | 1st | 10th |
| 100 Back | 46.68 | 5th | 22nd | |
| 100 Free | 42.93 | 7th | 27th | |
| 50 Free | 19.58 | T-10th | 36th | |
| Nick Sherman | 200 IM | 1:44.40 | 1st | 14th |
| 200 Free | 1:35.15 | 6th | 37th | |
| 50 Free | 19.56 | 7th | 33rd | |
| Nikola Aćin | 100 Free | 42.57 | 2nd | 15th |
| 50 Free | 19.31 | 3rd | 12th | |
| Coleman Modglin | 200 Breast | 1:55.54 | 4th | 27th |
| 100 Breast | 53.28 | 6th | 46th | |
| Brett Riley | 400 IM | 3:47.55 | 4th | 30th |
| 200 IM | 1:45.74 | 7th | 45th | |
| Skyler Younkin | 200 Fly | 1:46.56 | 10th | -- |
| Lindsay Turner | 200 Fly | 1:59.53 | 8th | -- |
| Kate Beavon | 1000 Free | 10:00.35 | 9th | 44th |
| Madeline Greaves | 200 Fly | 1:59.99 | 10th | -- |
| PURDUE INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONS | |
| MEN 2021: Purdue 2019: Louisville 2017: Florida 2015: Purdue 2012: Louisville 2010: Purdue 2009: Louisville 2007: Purdue 2005: Florida 2003: Purdue |
WOMEN 2021: Northwestern 2019: Louisville 2017: Indiana 2015: Purdue 2012: Purdue 2010: Arkansas 2009: Michigan 2007: Missouri 2005: Purdue 2003: NA (Men's Only) |