PURDUE SWIMMING-DIVING DROPS BOTH SIDES OF RIVALRY DUAL AT INDIANA  

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Guillermo Blanco and Rhiannon Sheets were each two-time individual event winners and both Purdue swimming and diving teams posted a relay win, but the Boilermakers dropped both sides of their annual rivalry dual meet with Indiana Saturday afternoon.

On a day in which the Big Ten Network televised a swimming and diving meet live for the first time in its history, the No. 10 Indiana men defeated No. 20 Purdue, 166-134. The No. 8 Indiana women were a 169-130 winner over No. 18 Purdue.

Blanco captured the 200 backstroke and 200 individual medley while also finishing second in the 100 back. Sheets swept the butterfly events.

The Boilermakers were at their best in the 50 freestyle as well as the breaststroke and butterfly events. Lauren Gustafson and Danny Tucker finished first in the 50 free sprints. Tucker out touched Ben Wachtel by one hundredth of a second, highlighting an event that saw Purdue sport the top four finishers.

Those top four finishers – Matt Freide, Ben Ziolkowski, Tucker and Wachtel – later teamed up to win the 400 free relay. Purdue finished one-two in the event as the quartet of G. Daniel Michael, Chuck Destro, Alec LaMothe and Noah Pashley joined forces to finish ahead of IU’s A relay team.

Gustafson, who was second in the 100 free, also swam the anchor leg on the women’s victorious 200 medley relay to open the swimming portion of the meet. She teamed with Amy Katz, Emily Fogle and Kylie Vogel.

Brendan Joyce won the 100 fly against Indiana for the second year in a row. He did so from lane eight this year. And thanks to victories from Albert Miller (100), Lyam Dias (200) and Fogle (100), the Boilers won three of the four breaststroke heats of the day.

Purdue travels to the Twin Cities next weekend for the annual Big Ten Quad and Triple Duals. The Boilermakers will square off against Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois (women only) in the two-day meet, hosted by the Golden Gophers this year. Friday’s events are slated to get underway at 7 p.m. ET.

Purdue Winners & Notables
^ - Personal Season-Best Time

Men
50 Free
Danny Tucker, 20.42 (Won by one-hundredth of a second)
Tucker, Ben Wachtel, Matt Friede & Ben Ziolkowski finished 1-2-3-4
100 Free
Matt Friede, Ben Wachtel, Danny Tucker & Chuck Destro finished 2-3-4-5
100 Back
Guillermo Blanco (49.70^), Brian Kiel, Tyler Gertz & Chuck Destro finished 2-3-4-5
200 Back
Guillermo Blanco, 1:48.32^
100 Breast
Albert Miller, 55.05
200 Breast
Lyam Dias, 2:01.40
100 Fly
Brendan Joyce, 49.64^ (won event from lane 8)
200 IM
Guillermo Blanco, 1:50.07
400 Free Relay
Friede, Ziolkowski, Wachtel & Tucker, 3:00.74
Michael, Destro, LaMothe & Pashley, 3:03.23^ – Finished 2nd

Women
50 Free
Lauren Gustafson, 23.05
100 Free
Lauren Gustafson & Carly Mercer finished 2-3
100 Breast
Emily Fogle, 1:02.30
100 Fly
Rhiannon Sheets, 55.82
200 Fly
Rhiannon Sheets, 2:01.29
200 Medley Relay
Katz, Fogle, Vogel & Gustafson, 1:42.53