GREENSBORO, N.C. – Purdue's Brady Samuels rocketed his way to a national victory at USA Swimming's Toyota U.S. Open Championships, climbing to the top of the podium with an event win in the 50-yard freestyle Thursday.
Samuels enjoyed a time drop of 0.24 hundredths from the prelims to the final to leapfrog Carmel, Indiana, native and fellow former IHSAA state champion Drew Kibler, a two-time Olympian. Samuels won with a time of 19.33, moving into second place in Purdue history while coming up just 0.02 hundredths shy of Nikola Aćin's team record (19.31) that has stood since November 2021.
Samuels joined Danny Tucker (2011-14) as Boilermakers to win gold at a USA Swimming national meet. Tucker was victorious in the 100-meter freestyle at the 2013 U.S. Open, a long course meet held in July of that year in Southern California.
In the 50 free prelims Thursday, Kibler won heat 4 in 19.48 and Samuels was victorious in the ninth and final heat with a time of 19.57. Samuels was victorious in the final by 0.16 hundredths, with Kibler claiming silver with a time of 19.49. Kibler helped Team USA win silver in the 4x200-meter free relay at the Olympic Games this summer.
Classmate Idris Muhammad (19.82) joined Samuels in the A final, finishing sixth to match his prelim showing. Nathaniel Thomas (19.95) was also fourth in the B final. The Boilermakers produced three of the top 10 finishers among a field of 62 swimmers in the 50 free prelims.
Freshman Blake Rowe (1:47.87) posted a top-10 overall finish in the 200 individual medley, taking runner-up honors in the B final thanks to a time drop of 0.84 hundredths from the prelims to the finals.
Among a small group of entries Wednesday, the Boilermakers were victorious in both the 200 medley and 800 free relays. Samuels contributed to both victories, swimming the butterfly leg on the medley and the leadoff leg on the freestyle. He teamed up with Muhammad, Raymond Whittaker and Dom Mazurek on the medley team as well as Rowe, Walker Mattice and Andy Kelly on the freestyle team. The 800 free team moved into sixth place in team history with a time 6:26.46. There were eight entries in the 200 medley relay and four entries in the 800 free relay.
Samuels' leadoff leg split on the 800 free relay was 1:34.06, another lifetime best for the senior (in the 200 free) that improved on his second-fastest mark in team history. He pulled within 0.79 hundredths of Nick Sherman's team record (1:33.27) from the 2023 NCAA Championships. Samuels, Aćin and Sherman all swam on the same All-American relay team for Purdue during the 2021-22 season, Samuels' freshman season.
Samuels now has NCAA provisional qualifying times (B Cuts) in four events this season – the 50, 100 and 200 free plus the 100 backstroke. He's also among the top seeds in the 100 free, 100 back and 100 butterfly this week at the U.S. Open. The 100 fly and 100 back are both on Friday.
Lance Lesage (100 free) and Kelly (200 IM) both posted career-best times in time trials Thursday morning. They're set to race in individual events beginning Friday.
The U.S. Open continues Friday with prelims at 9 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m. The meet continues through Saturday evening.
PURDUE RESULTS FROM WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY AT U.S. OPEN
(B) – NCAA Provisional Qualifying Time
* – Team Season-Best Time
^ – Personal Season-Best Time
50 Free
Brady Samuels, 19.33* (B) – Event Winner; Won Heat 9 of Prelims; 2nd Fastest in Team History
Idris Muhammad, 19.82^ (Prelim Time) – Finished 6th in A Final
Nathaniel Thomas, 19.95^ (Prelim Time) – Finished 4th in B Final
Dom Mazurek, 20.50^ (Prelim Time) – Finished 28th in Prelims
500 Free
Evan Mackesy, 4:27.83^ – Finished 7th in B Final
200 IM
Blake Rowe, 1:47.87^ – Finished 2nd in B Final
Raymond Whittaker, 1:50.04^ (Prelim Time) – Finished 5th in C Final
200 Medley Relay
Muhammad, Whittaker, Samuels & Mazurek, 1:26.69* – Event Winner
800 Free Relay
Samuels, Rowe, Mattice & Kelly, 6:26.46* – Event Winner; 6th Fastest in Team History
Samuels leadoff leg split of 1:34.06* (B) is 2nd Fastest in Team History in the 200 Free
400 Medley Relay
Rowe, Whittaker, Samuels, Muhammad – DQ'd
Samuels enjoyed a time drop of 0.24 hundredths from the prelims to the final to leapfrog Carmel, Indiana, native and fellow former IHSAA state champion Drew Kibler, a two-time Olympian. Samuels won with a time of 19.33, moving into second place in Purdue history while coming up just 0.02 hundredths shy of Nikola Aćin's team record (19.31) that has stood since November 2021.
Samuels joined Danny Tucker (2011-14) as Boilermakers to win gold at a USA Swimming national meet. Tucker was victorious in the 100-meter freestyle at the 2013 U.S. Open, a long course meet held in July of that year in Southern California.
In the 50 free prelims Thursday, Kibler won heat 4 in 19.48 and Samuels was victorious in the ninth and final heat with a time of 19.57. Samuels was victorious in the final by 0.16 hundredths, with Kibler claiming silver with a time of 19.49. Kibler helped Team USA win silver in the 4x200-meter free relay at the Olympic Games this summer.
Classmate Idris Muhammad (19.82) joined Samuels in the A final, finishing sixth to match his prelim showing. Nathaniel Thomas (19.95) was also fourth in the B final. The Boilermakers produced three of the top 10 finishers among a field of 62 swimmers in the 50 free prelims.
Freshman Blake Rowe (1:47.87) posted a top-10 overall finish in the 200 individual medley, taking runner-up honors in the B final thanks to a time drop of 0.84 hundredths from the prelims to the finals.
Among a small group of entries Wednesday, the Boilermakers were victorious in both the 200 medley and 800 free relays. Samuels contributed to both victories, swimming the butterfly leg on the medley and the leadoff leg on the freestyle. He teamed up with Muhammad, Raymond Whittaker and Dom Mazurek on the medley team as well as Rowe, Walker Mattice and Andy Kelly on the freestyle team. The 800 free team moved into sixth place in team history with a time 6:26.46. There were eight entries in the 200 medley relay and four entries in the 800 free relay.
Samuels' leadoff leg split on the 800 free relay was 1:34.06, another lifetime best for the senior (in the 200 free) that improved on his second-fastest mark in team history. He pulled within 0.79 hundredths of Nick Sherman's team record (1:33.27) from the 2023 NCAA Championships. Samuels, Aćin and Sherman all swam on the same All-American relay team for Purdue during the 2021-22 season, Samuels' freshman season.
Samuels now has NCAA provisional qualifying times (B Cuts) in four events this season – the 50, 100 and 200 free plus the 100 backstroke. He's also among the top seeds in the 100 free, 100 back and 100 butterfly this week at the U.S. Open. The 100 fly and 100 back are both on Friday.
Lance Lesage (100 free) and Kelly (200 IM) both posted career-best times in time trials Thursday morning. They're set to race in individual events beginning Friday.
The U.S. Open continues Friday with prelims at 9 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m. The meet continues through Saturday evening.
PURDUE RESULTS FROM WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY AT U.S. OPEN
(B) – NCAA Provisional Qualifying Time
* – Team Season-Best Time
^ – Personal Season-Best Time
50 Free
Brady Samuels, 19.33* (B) – Event Winner; Won Heat 9 of Prelims; 2nd Fastest in Team History
Idris Muhammad, 19.82^ (Prelim Time) – Finished 6th in A Final
Nathaniel Thomas, 19.95^ (Prelim Time) – Finished 4th in B Final
Dom Mazurek, 20.50^ (Prelim Time) – Finished 28th in Prelims
500 Free
Evan Mackesy, 4:27.83^ – Finished 7th in B Final
200 IM
Blake Rowe, 1:47.87^ – Finished 2nd in B Final
Raymond Whittaker, 1:50.04^ (Prelim Time) – Finished 5th in C Final
200 Medley Relay
Muhammad, Whittaker, Samuels & Mazurek, 1:26.69* – Event Winner
800 Free Relay
Samuels, Rowe, Mattice & Kelly, 6:26.46* – Event Winner; 6th Fastest in Team History
Samuels leadoff leg split of 1:34.06* (B) is 2nd Fastest in Team History in the 200 Free
400 Medley Relay
Rowe, Whittaker, Samuels, Muhammad – DQ'd