WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Jordan Rzepka’s Big Ten title on platform and Kaden Springfield’s bronze medal in the same event at the NCAA Championships headlined Purdue Men’s Swimming & Diving’s 2024-25 season.
With Brady Samuels (100 butterfly), Max Miller (1-meter diving), Rzepka and Springfield all scoring at the NCAA Championships, Purdue finished 17th in the team standings. They finished top 20 for the sixth time since 2015 and top 25 for the 16th time since 2005.
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Rzepka managed to earn All-America honors – with three top-10 showings – in all three diving events, achieving the feat for his career as well by winning the 3-meter consolation final at NCAAs. He is Purdue’s seventh male diver to achieve the feat in a single year and the first since 2022. Over his four seasons, Rzepka was a six-time All-American, the most honors by a Boilermaker since Steele Johnson’s nine from 2015-18.
Springfield joined David Colturi (2008), David Boudia (2009), Johnson (2015) and Tyler Downs (2022) as Purdue men to medal at NCAAs as freshmen. All five won a medal on the tower during their first years at NCAAs.
Rzepka also won bronze in 3-meter diving at the conference champions for the second year in a row, closing his four-year run at Big Tens with six medals – one gold, three silver, two bronze – and a perfect 12-for-12 in top-10 finishes. As the Purdue men’s first Big Ten Diver of the Championships since coach David Boudia won the final of his three such honors in 2011, Rzepka accounted for a career-high 84 team points. The 312 points he accounted for over the last four years are the most by a Boilermaker – male or female – since the top-24 scoring format was introduced in 2016.
Samuels impressed at USA Swimming’s Toyota U.S. Open in December, winning gold in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly. He joined Yale’s Charlie Egeland (100 and 200 breast, 200 IM) and Georgia’s Bradley Dunham (100 and 200 back, 500 free) as the only men’s swimmers to win three individual events at the U.S. Open. Samuels also helped the Boilermakers win three relays at the national showcase – 200 free, 800 free and 200 medley relays.
Samuels set team records in the 50 free, 100 fly and 200 free during his senior season. He established the 200 benchmark on the leadoff leg of the 800 free relay at Big Tens, teaming up with three freshmen – Blake Rowe, Walker Mattice and Evan Mackesy – to eclipse the team record in that event as well. In the 200 free relay, Samuels’ 50 split 18.78 on the second leg of the race was the fastest ever by a Boilermaker.
Samuels was a two-time A finalist at Big Tens for the fourth year in a row while accounting for 62 team points. His 253 team points over the last four years represents the most by any Purdue swimmer since 2016.
Rowe eclipsed Purdue’s freshman record in the 200 backstroke in both the prelims and finals at the U.S. Open, winning silver as the runner-up in the championship final. Rowe was an A finalist in the 200 back as Purdue’s first freshman to race for a Big Ten title since 2022. Mackesy eclipsed the Purdue freshman record in the 400 IM that had stood since 2014, moving into second place in team history overall.
Tyler Wills won bronze in platform diving at Big Tens to become the Boilermakers’ first freshman medalist since 2022. He was joined on the new Big Ten All-Freshman Team by Zach Welsh and Springfield. Welsh finished top 10 on both springboards and Springfield was also a championship finalist on the tower. That trio ranked 3-4-5 among Purdue’s scoring leaders.
BIG TEN CHAMPION
• Jordan Rzepka – Platform Diving
NCAA BRONZE MEDALIST
• Kaden Springfield – Platform Diving
ALL-AMERICA
• Jordan Rzepka – 1-Meter & Platform Diving
• Kaden Springfield – Platform Diving
HONORABLE MENTION ALL-AMERICA
• Max Miller – 1-Meter & 3-Meter Diving
• Jordan Rzepka – 3-Meter Diving
• Brady Samuels – 100 Fly
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS QUALIFIERS
• Jordan Rzepka – 1-Meter, 3-Meter & Platform Diving
• Kaden Springfield – 3-Meter & Platform Diving
• Tyler Wills – 3-Meter & Platform Diving
• Max Miller – 1-Meter & 3-Meter Diving
• Zach Welsh – 1-Meter & 3-Meter Diving
• Brady Samuels – 100 Free & 100 Fly
BIG TEN DIVER OF THE CHAMPIONSHIPS & FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG TEN
• Jordan Rzepka
BIG TEN MEDALISTS
• Jordan Rzepka – Bronze in 3-Meter Diving
• Tyler Wills – Bronze in Platform Diving
BIG TEN ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
• Tyler Wills – Platform Diving
• Kaden Springfield – Platform Diving
• Zach Welsh – 1-Meter Diving
USA DIVING MEDALISTS
• Jordan Rzepka – Silver Medalist on 10-Meter at Winter Nationals (December) & National Championships (May)
• Tyler Wills – Gold in Mixed 10-Meter Synchro at National Championships (May)
PROGRAM RECORDS
• Brady Samuels – 19.24 in 50 Free, 1:32.52 in 200 Free, 44.87 in 100 Fly
FRESHMAN RECORDS
• Blake Rowe – 1:42.38 in 200 Back
• Evan Mackesy – 3:45.72 in 400 IM
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MORE CAREER BESTS TO MOVE UP OR JOIN PURDUE RECORD BOOK |
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• Brady Samuels – 2nd in 100 Free (41.92) |
• Raymond Whittaker – 9th in 200 Breast (1:57.03) |
MEDALISTS AT USA SWIMMING TOYOTA U.S. OPEN (Dec. 4-7 in Greensboro)
• Brady Samuels – Gold in 50 & 100 Free, Gold in 100 Fly
• Blake Rowe – Silver in 200 Back
• Victorious Relays – 200 & 800 Free, 200 Medley
WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS QUALIFIERS (July 24-Aug. 3 in Singapore)
• Jordan Rzepka – 10-Meter Diving
• Tyler Wills – Mixed 10-Meter Synchro
WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS QUALIFIERS (25m, Dec. 10-14 in Budapest)
• Matheo Mateos – 200m & 400m IM
• Nathaniel Thomas – 50m Free & 100m Fly
WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES QUALIFIERS
• Max Miller – 1-Meter & 3-Meter Diving; Bronze Medalist in Mixed 3M Synchro (with Ellie Joyce)
• Kaden Springfield – 10-Meter Diving; Silver Medalist in Mixed 10M Synchro (with Sophie McAfee)
• Holden Higbie – 1-Meter Diving
• Matheo Mateos – 50m Fly & 200m IM
TYR SUMMER CHAMPIONSHIPS QUALIFIERS
• Maxwell Blume – 50m & 100m Breast; Relays
• Evan Mackesy – 200m & 400m IM; Relays
• Blake Rowe – 200m Back; Relays
COMPETED AT CSCAA OPEN WATER CHAMPIONSHIPS
• Alexander Cole
• Gabe Eschbach
• Evan Mackesy
• Gio Mango
• Griffin Poulsen
SCORED IN ALL 3 OF HIS INDIVIDUAL EVENTS AT BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
• Brady Samuels – 50 Free, 100 Free, 100 Fly
• Jordan Rzepka – All 3 Diving Events
BIG TEN WEEKLY AWARDS
• Brady Samuels – Swimmer of the Week, Dec. 11
• Jordan Rzepka – Diver of the Week, Oct. 16, Nov. 27, Dec. 18, Jan. 29
BIG TEN SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREE
• Luke Fortner
BIG TEN POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT
• Luke Fortner
TEAM GPAs
• Fall Semester: 3.32
• Spring Semester: 3.37
• Cumulative: 3.29
• CSCAA Scholar All-America Team
CSC ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT (4 HONOREES PER TEAM WITH 3.5+ CUMULATIVE GPA)
• Luke Fortner
• Mason Kajfosz
• Max Miller
• Idris Muhammad
BIG TEN DISTINGUSHED SCHOLARS (3.7+ YEARLY OR CUMULATIVE GPA)
• Luke Fortner
• Aaron Frollo
• Ethan Shaw
• Andrew Witty
CSCAA SCHOLAR ALL-AMERICA (3.5+ GPA & ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENT)
• Holden Higbie – First Team
• Max Miller – First Team
• Jordan Rzepka – First Team
• Dylan Burau – Second Team
• Aaron Frollo – Second Team
• Idris Muhammad – Second Team
• Ethan Shaw – Second Team
• Andrew Witty – Second Team
ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN (3.0+ CUMULATIVE GPA)
• Sam Bennett
• Dylan Burau
• Cooper Callahan
• Luke Fortner
• Aaron Frollo
• Andy Kelly
• Charlie King
• Connor McCarthy
• Coleman Modglin
• Idris Muhammad
• Rafael Rodriguez
• Jordan Rzepka
• Griffin Seaver
• Ethan Shaw
• Jude Wenker
• Raymond Whittaker
• Andrew Witty
• Ryan Zerpa