MINNEAPOLIS – Avery Worobel’s Big Ten title in 3-meter diving headlined the four medals won by the divers and Abby Marcukaitis’ team record in the 100 backstroke was the top mark among 17 that went into the program record book, highlighting Purdue Women’s Swimming & Diving’s performances at the Big Ten Championships.
Worobel won gold on 3-meter and bronze on 1-meter while finishing top 10 in all three diving events. Daryn Wright closed out her career at Big Tens with a silver on platform and bronze on 3-meter. The Purdue women won a medal in all three diving events for the first time since 2020 and eighth time overall (previously in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2020).
With her underclassman seasons complete, Worobel already owns a Big Ten medal of all three colors. Wright was a four-time medalist at Big Tens, joining Maggie Merriman (2020-23), MacKenzie Tweardy (2013-15) and Carrie McCambridge (2004-06) as Purdue’s female divers to medal three consecutive years at Big Tens. Wright was a perfect 12-for-12 in career top-10 finishes at Big Tens and finished no worse than fifth in any event as an upperclassman.
Marcuakitis will graduate as Purdue’s record holder in both backstroke events (52.70 in the 100, 1:54.09 in 200). She broke the 200 back record twice last season and finally got the 100 benchmark she had been on the cusp of since January 2025. Both records had stood since the 2018-19 campaign.
Reagan Mattice (16:14.70 in 1650 free) and Campbell Scofield (1:56.71 in 200 fly) joined Marcukaitis (1:54.57 in 200 back) as Boilermakers to post NCAA Championships qualifying times. Mattice (9th overall) and Scofield (runner-up in the B final for 10th overall) both finished top 10 in their premier events. Mattice was ranked 31st nationally in the mile this week, making her Purdue’s top candidate to earn a bid to the NCAA Championships.
Mattice joined Kaitlin Simons and Wright as the newest Boilermakers to be four-year scorers at Big Tens. Wright accounted for 289 points at Big Tens during her career, ranking second for Purdue during the current top-24 scoring format (since 2016). Her total is also the best for any four-year Boilermaker. Big Ten diving champion Emily Bretscher (300 points) competed at five Big Tens from 2018-22 due to eligibility extensions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CAREER BESTS TO MOVE UP/JOIN PURDUE RECORD BOOK
• Abby Marcukaitis – 52.70, Team Record in 100 Back
• 200 Medley Relay – 1:37.37, 2nd
…Marcukaitis, Sharma, Phipps, Hill
• Lara Phipps – 48.70. 3rd in 100 Free
• Reagan Mattice – 16:14.70, 3rd in 1650 Free (NCAAs Qualifying Time)
• 200 Free Relay – 1:29.78, 3rd
…Hill, Phipps, Rojas, Fasano
• Campbell Scofield – 1:56.71, 4th in 200 Fly (NCAAs Qualifying Time)
• Amie Perna – 53.81, 5th in 100 Back
• Amie Perna – 1:56.70, 5th in 200 Back
• Keira Kask – 1:57.26, 5th in 200 Fly
• Ana Rojas – 53.42, 7th in 100 Fly
• Keira Kaska – 53.66, 8th in 100 Fly
• 400 Medley Relay – 3:37.27, 8th
…Marcukaitis, Sharma, Rojas, Phipps
• Reagan Mattice – 4:45.91, 10th in 500 Free
• Avery Worobel – 364.60, 11th on 3-Meter
• Maddie Phillips – 2:15.61, 13th in 200 Breast
• Susie Lee – 54.51, 14th in 100 Back
• Kate Mouser – 2:00.98, 15th in 200 IM
Keira Kask was an A finalist in the 200 butterfly while moving into Purdue’s all-time top five in the event (1:57.26). It marked the second year in a row the Boilermakers had an A finalist in the event.
Lara Phipps moved into third place in team history as a B finalist in the 100 free. The sophomore also showcased her versatility by racing on all five of Purdue’s relays – a rare feat, especially for an underclassman. She had been part of four relays at Big Tens last season.
After eclipsing the team record in the 400 free relay in November at the Ohio State Invitational, the Boilermakers posted third second fastest time in team history in the 200 medley relay and the third fastest in the 200 free. Fifth-year senior Hannah Hill joined Phipps on both quartets. Already Purdue’s record holder in the 50 free (22.32), Hill once again eclipsed the previous program record (22.49) in the 50 on the leadoff leg (22.45) of the 200 free relay.
Worobel became the Purdue women’s first Big Ten champion since Maycey Vieta (platform) in 2023 and the first on a springboard since Bretscher (3-meter) in 2020. Like Worobel, Bretscher also won gold on 3-meter and bronze on 1-meter in 2020. Bretscher (2020 and 2021) had been the last Boilermaker to medal on 3-meter in consecutive seasons before Worobel did it during her underclassman years. Kara Cook (platform as a freshman in 2008) had been Purdue’s last female underclassman to win a Big Ten title.
Worobel and Wright joined Ashley Karnes (gold) and Casey Matthews (bronze) on 1-meter and 2009 as well as Matthews (gold) and Mary Beth Dunnichay (bronze) on 1-meter in 2014 among the Purdue teammates to medal on a springboard in the same year.
Selected Purdue swimmers may choose to race again next weekend at Wisconsin’s NCAA Last Chance meet. The divers are back in action March 9-11 at the Zone C Championships, the annual NCAA Championships qualifier. The women’s NCAA Championships are set for March 18-21 in Atlanta.
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PURDUE’S TOP SCORERS & TOP-SCORING INDIVIDUAL EVENTS |
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Purdue’s Top Scorers |
Purdue’s Top Point Totals in Individual Events |
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ACTIVE CAREER SCORING LEADERS AT THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
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|
Boilermaker |
Career Points |
2026 |
2025 |
2024 |
2023 |
2022 |
|
289 |
80 |
78 |
74 |
57 |
NA |
|
|
130 |
76 |
54 |
NA |
NA |
NA |
|
|
75 |
30 |
23 |
22 |
-- |
NA |
|
|
55 |
32 |
7 |
7 |
9 |
NA |
|
|
48 |
14 |
2 |
13 |
19 |
NA |
|
|
45 |
-- |
21 |
24 |
NA |
NA |
|
|
40 |
17 |
23 |
NA |
NA |
NA |
|
|
31 |
22 |
9 |
-- |
NA |
NA |
|
|
12 |
-- |
3 |
DNC |
9 |
-- |
|
|
11 |
11 |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
|
|
11 |
11 |
-- |
NA |
NA |
NA |
|
|
11 |
-- |
11 |
NA |
NA |
NA |
|
|
8 |
8 |
-- |
-- |
NA |
NA |
|
|
8 |
4 |
4 |
-- |
NA |
NA |
|
|
7 |
7 |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
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