ROSEMONT, Ill. – A pair of event victories and a pair of lifetime bests earned Purdue’s Blake Rowe Big Ten Swimmer of the Week honors after the season-opening weekend.
Rowe’s sweep of the 100 and 200 backstroke helped the Boilermakers finish as the runner-up at the four-team Seminole Fall Classic, a two-day meet contested outdoors at FSU’s Morcom Aquatics Center. The sophomore’s lifetime bests were in the 100 back (47.47) and 200 freestyle (1:38.64).
Purdue enjoyed a pair of 1-2 finishes Saturday and Rowe was part of both just three events apart. He teamed up with Dylan Burau, the Boilermakers’ team record holder, for the 1-2 in the 200 back and later finished as the runner-up behind classmate Evan Mackesy in the 200 individual medley.
Rowe’s time in the 100 back moved him into 11th place in program history. His time Friday ranked second nationally during the season-opening weekend via the data compiled at SwimCloud.com. He continues to rank fourth on Purdue’s all-time leaderboard in the 200 back (1:42.38) after eclipsing the team’s freshman record in the event last season. Rowe’s winning time (1:42.66) in the 200 back in Tallahassee was tops nationally on SwimCloud for the weekend.
Times posted by Jānis Dzirkalis (19.56 in 50 free), Jonah Lee (53.59 in 100 breast) and Mackesy (1:47.63 in 200 IM) at the Seminole Fall Classic also ranked second nationally on the SwimCloud leaderboards from the season-opening weekend.
A team record holder in four individual events, Brady Samuels closed out his collegiate career in the spring as a three-time Big Ten Swimmer of the Week. Two-time Olympian Nikola Aćin (November 2021) was Purdue’s last Swimmer of the Week honoree besides Samuels.
Rowe is believed to be the first Boilermaker to win Big Ten Swimmer of the Week after a season-opening weekend. The Big Ten began its weekly awards program for Swimming & Diving during the 1998-99 season.
Rowe Receives B1G Swimmer of the Week Recognition
Sophomore swept the 100 & 200 backstroke at the Seminole Fall Classic.