IOWA CITY, Iowa – Avery Worobel swept the diving events and freshmen Lancy Chen and Caroline Mallard were victorious again in their second meets, highlighting Purdue Women’s Swimming & Diving’s split of a triple dual with Iowa and No. 23 UCLA on Friday.
The Boilermakers were victorious vs. the host Hawkeyes 178-122, but were outscored 162.5-137.5 by the Bruins. Purdue dropped a dual result during the fall semester for the first time since November 2022 at Rutgers, ending its streak at 12 consecutive victories.
Adele Sands (1000 free) joined Worobel, Chen (100 breast) and Mallard (200 fly) as the Boilermakers’ event winners. All four have won an event in each of Purdue’s first two meets of the season.
Worobel and freshmen Lucy Dovison delivered 1-2 finishes in both springboard events. Mallard and Campbell Scofield also went 1-2 in the 200 butterfly, duplicating their feat from three weeks ago in Purdue’s victory at Illinois.
Worobel won on 3-meter by 58 points while posting the sixth-best score (379.00) in team history. Chen’s winning time (1:01.94) in the 100 breaststroke moved her into 15th place in program history.
The Boilermakers were part of six finishes in which the top two were separated by 0.6 tenths of a second or less. The two tightest finishes among that group both saw a winner determined by .03 hundredths of a second. Chen won by .03 hundredths in the 100 breast while Caitlin Hurley was out touched by the same margin in the 200 freestyle.
Hurley finished as the runner-up in both the 200 and 500 free, joining Amie Perna (100 & 200 back) and Dovison as Boilermakers to post a pair of second-place showings. Mallard (100 fly) and Chen (200 breast) added runner-up finishes in the second races of their premier strokes.
Purdue accounted for three of the top five finishers in three events – the 200 backstroke and distance freestyle races.
The Boilermakers are back in action Saturday for the home opener at the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center – the Dan Ross Indiana Intercollegiate. Diving events begin at 11 a.m. and swimming events get started at noon. The annual meet will feature teams from across the state.
PURDUE’S TOP PERFORMERS
• Event Winners: Avery Worobel (2x), Lancy Chen, Caroline Mallard, Adele Sands
• 1-2 Finishes: 1-Meter Diving, 3-Meter Diving, 200 Fly
• 3 of Top 5 Finishes: 200 Back, 500 Free, 1000 Free
• Multiple Top 2 Finishes: Avery Worobel, Lancy Chen, Caroline Mallard, Lucy Dovison, Caitlin Hurley, Amie Perna
Boilermakers Split Triple Dual with Iowa, UCLA
Worobel sweeps the springboards; Chen, Mallard, Sands all win events again as well