NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MEET INFORMATION
Purdue Men at the NCAA Championships
Wednesday to Saturday, March 23 to 25 / Watch ESPN+
11 a.m. Swimming Prelims, 1 p.m. Diving Prelims, 7 p.m. Finals (ET)
Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center / Minneapolis, Minnesota
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A quartet of Boilermakers earned the right to return to the national championship meet where they'll represent Purdue men's swimming & diving in a combined eight events at the NCAA Championships this week in the Twin Cities.
Swimmers Brady Samuels and Nick Sherman as well as divers Sam Bennett and Jordan Rzepka are all competing at NCAAs for the second year in a row. For Sherman, he's one of just six swimmers in team history to be a four-year qualifier for the national championship meet.
Among the divers, Rzepka is among an elite group of 25 to qualify in all three events this year. He accomplished the feat for the second year in a row, finishing top 10 on platform (7th) and 1-meter (10th) as a freshman last year. Bennett added 1-meter to his event list this season after making his NCAAs debut on 3-meter as a freshman a year ago.
Samuels qualified as an individual this season after making it as part of Purdue's four relays as a freshman. Rzepka, Samuels and Sherman are slated to compete on all three days of individual events this week.
The NCAA Championships begin Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET with a pair of relays and continue through Saturday night at Minnesota's Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center. All four Boilermakers in attendance this week competed at the Gophers' aquatic center in January 2022 for the Big Ten Triple Duals. At that two-day meet vs. Minnesota and Northwestern, Rzepka swept the springboard events and Samuels was victorious in the 100 butterfly.
PURDUE ENTRIES & SCHEDULE AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
• Sam Bennett – 1-Meter & 3-Meter Diving
• Jordan Rzepka – 1-Meter, 3-Meter, Platform Diving
• Brady Samuels – 50 & 100 Free, 100 Back
• Nick Sherman – 100 & 200 Free, 200 IM
Thursday, March 23 – 11 a.m. Swimming Prelims, 1 p.m. Diving Prelims // 7 p.m. Finals
• 200 IM – Nick Sherman
• 50 Free – Brady Samuels
• 1-Meter Diving – Sam Bennett, Jordan Rzepka
Friday, March 24 – 11 a.m. Swimming Prelims, 1 p.m. Diving Prelims // 7 p.m. Finals
• 200 Free – Nick Sherman
• 100 Back – Brady Samuels
• 3-Meter Diving – Sam Bennett, Jordan Rzepka
Saturday, March 25 – 11 a.m. Swimming Prelims, 1 p.m. Diving Prelims // 7 p.m. Finals
• 100 Free – Brady Samuels & Nick Sherman
• Platform Diving – Jordan Rzepka
Purdue Olympians David Boudia and Steele Johnson both won NCAA titles at Minnesota's Freeman Aquatic Center. Boudia swept the springboard events in 2011 and Johnson was victorious on 3-meter in 2018. Fellow program greats Vilmos Kovacs (100 & 200 Breast, 1997), Matt Brown (200 & 400 IM, 1997), Matthew Martin (1650 Free, 2000), Louis Paul (200 IM, 2005), Zach Schultz (1-Meter & Platform, 2007), Danny Cox (Platform, 2011) and J.P Perez (Platform, 2011) also finished on the podium as All-Americans when Minnesota has hosted the national championship meet.
The men's NCAA Championships return to the state of Indiana next season as the IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI in Downtown Indianapolis is slated to host the national championship meet. It was also scheduled to host in 2020 before all NCAA sports were shut down for the remainder of the school year on March 12. Indy's premier aquatic center also hosted in 2013 and 2017.
Purdue has finished among the top 25 in the team scoring at the NCAA Championships 14 times since 2005. The Boilermakers placed 13th in 2009, 2010 and 2017, winning multiple national titles in diving all three years. Purdue scored in four events last season while finishing 15th in the team scoring with 85 points, its most since 2017. The Boilermakers have scored in all three diving events at NCAAs every year the meet has been held since 2017.
PURDUE'S RECENT ALL-AMERICA HISTORY
• The Boilermakers have had at least one All-American (in any event) at the NCAA Championships every year this century the meet has been held. Nick Sherman was also named All-American by the CSCAA in 2020 after the shutdown.
• One men's diver has earned All-America honors in 16 of the last 17 national championship meets (all but 2012). David Boudia and Steele Johnson won a combined 11 NCAA titles for Purdue from 2009 to 2018. Before becoming an Olympian in June 2021, Brandon Loschiavo's big year began with his breakthrough victory on the tower at the NCAA Championships that spring. Tyler Downs won on the tower at NCAAs last season, claiming the Purdue men's 13th national title in diving. A year ago, Purdue became the first team since Auburn from 2004 to 2006 to win consecutive national titles in a diving event with a different individual winner.
• Nikola Aćin (in 2021) was Purdue's last championship finalist in a swimming event, racing for the national title among the top eight in the 100 free (clinching full-fledged All-America honors). He became the fifth Boilermaker this century to be a championship finalist in a swimming event at NCAAs.
Last week, Purdue divers Maggie Merriman, Sophie McAfee, Maycey Vieta and Daryn Wright competed at the women's NCAA Championships in Knoxville. Vieta and Merriman finished top 10 on platform. McAfee was an honorable mention All-American on both 3-meter and platform. The Boilermakers finished 24th in the team scoring.
Purdue Men at the NCAA Championships
Wednesday to Saturday, March 23 to 25 / Watch ESPN+
11 a.m. Swimming Prelims, 1 p.m. Diving Prelims, 7 p.m. Finals (ET)
Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center / Minneapolis, Minnesota
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A quartet of Boilermakers earned the right to return to the national championship meet where they'll represent Purdue men's swimming & diving in a combined eight events at the NCAA Championships this week in the Twin Cities.
Swimmers Brady Samuels and Nick Sherman as well as divers Sam Bennett and Jordan Rzepka are all competing at NCAAs for the second year in a row. For Sherman, he's one of just six swimmers in team history to be a four-year qualifier for the national championship meet.
Among the divers, Rzepka is among an elite group of 25 to qualify in all three events this year. He accomplished the feat for the second year in a row, finishing top 10 on platform (7th) and 1-meter (10th) as a freshman last year. Bennett added 1-meter to his event list this season after making his NCAAs debut on 3-meter as a freshman a year ago.
Samuels qualified as an individual this season after making it as part of Purdue's four relays as a freshman. Rzepka, Samuels and Sherman are slated to compete on all three days of individual events this week.
The NCAA Championships begin Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET with a pair of relays and continue through Saturday night at Minnesota's Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center. All four Boilermakers in attendance this week competed at the Gophers' aquatic center in January 2022 for the Big Ten Triple Duals. At that two-day meet vs. Minnesota and Northwestern, Rzepka swept the springboard events and Samuels was victorious in the 100 butterfly.
PURDUE ENTRIES & SCHEDULE AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
• Sam Bennett – 1-Meter & 3-Meter Diving
• Jordan Rzepka – 1-Meter, 3-Meter, Platform Diving
• Brady Samuels – 50 & 100 Free, 100 Back
• Nick Sherman – 100 & 200 Free, 200 IM
Thursday, March 23 – 11 a.m. Swimming Prelims, 1 p.m. Diving Prelims // 7 p.m. Finals
• 200 IM – Nick Sherman
• 50 Free – Brady Samuels
• 1-Meter Diving – Sam Bennett, Jordan Rzepka
Friday, March 24 – 11 a.m. Swimming Prelims, 1 p.m. Diving Prelims // 7 p.m. Finals
• 200 Free – Nick Sherman
• 100 Back – Brady Samuels
• 3-Meter Diving – Sam Bennett, Jordan Rzepka
Saturday, March 25 – 11 a.m. Swimming Prelims, 1 p.m. Diving Prelims // 7 p.m. Finals
• 100 Free – Brady Samuels & Nick Sherman
• Platform Diving – Jordan Rzepka
| 2023 NCAAs QUALIFIERS IN ALL 3 DIVING EVENTS (25) | |
| • George Callanan, Princeton • Andrew Capobianco, Indiana • Cameron Cash, Pitt • Skip Donald, Florida • Noah Duperre, Texas • Mohamed Fraouk, Alabama • Jacob Fisher, Virginia Tech • Max Flory, Miami (Fla.) • Cameron Gammage, Michigan • Leonardo Garcia, Florida • Bryden Hattie, Tennessee • Quinn Henninger, Indiana • Rhett Hensley, Texas A&M |
• Gael Jimenez, Cal Baptist • Georgi Korovin, USC • Luke McDivitt, Utah • Jordan Rzepka, Purdue • Peter Smithson, SMU • Mickey Strauss, BYU • Carson Tyler, Indiana • Emanuel Vazquez, South Carolina • Joseph Victor, Princeton • Max Weinrich, Indiana • Lyle Yost, Ohio State • Noah Zawadzki, Virginia Tech |
Purdue Olympians David Boudia and Steele Johnson both won NCAA titles at Minnesota's Freeman Aquatic Center. Boudia swept the springboard events in 2011 and Johnson was victorious on 3-meter in 2018. Fellow program greats Vilmos Kovacs (100 & 200 Breast, 1997), Matt Brown (200 & 400 IM, 1997), Matthew Martin (1650 Free, 2000), Louis Paul (200 IM, 2005), Zach Schultz (1-Meter & Platform, 2007), Danny Cox (Platform, 2011) and J.P Perez (Platform, 2011) also finished on the podium as All-Americans when Minnesota has hosted the national championship meet.
The men's NCAA Championships return to the state of Indiana next season as the IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI in Downtown Indianapolis is slated to host the national championship meet. It was also scheduled to host in 2020 before all NCAA sports were shut down for the remainder of the school year on March 12. Indy's premier aquatic center also hosted in 2013 and 2017.
Purdue has finished among the top 25 in the team scoring at the NCAA Championships 14 times since 2005. The Boilermakers placed 13th in 2009, 2010 and 2017, winning multiple national titles in diving all three years. Purdue scored in four events last season while finishing 15th in the team scoring with 85 points, its most since 2017. The Boilermakers have scored in all three diving events at NCAAs every year the meet has been held since 2017.
PURDUE'S RECENT ALL-AMERICA HISTORY
• The Boilermakers have had at least one All-American (in any event) at the NCAA Championships every year this century the meet has been held. Nick Sherman was also named All-American by the CSCAA in 2020 after the shutdown.
• One men's diver has earned All-America honors in 16 of the last 17 national championship meets (all but 2012). David Boudia and Steele Johnson won a combined 11 NCAA titles for Purdue from 2009 to 2018. Before becoming an Olympian in June 2021, Brandon Loschiavo's big year began with his breakthrough victory on the tower at the NCAA Championships that spring. Tyler Downs won on the tower at NCAAs last season, claiming the Purdue men's 13th national title in diving. A year ago, Purdue became the first team since Auburn from 2004 to 2006 to win consecutive national titles in a diving event with a different individual winner.
• Nikola Aćin (in 2021) was Purdue's last championship finalist in a swimming event, racing for the national title among the top eight in the 100 free (clinching full-fledged All-America honors). He became the fifth Boilermaker this century to be a championship finalist in a swimming event at NCAAs.
Last week, Purdue divers Maggie Merriman, Sophie McAfee, Maycey Vieta and Daryn Wright competed at the women's NCAA Championships in Knoxville. Vieta and Merriman finished top 10 on platform. McAfee was an honorable mention All-American on both 3-meter and platform. The Boilermakers finished 24th in the team scoring.