Purdue teams dominate during inaugural meet

By Paul Trembacki
Sports Editor

Before her team started practicing in the new Boilermaker Aquatics Center, Purdue swimming and diving coach Cathy Wright-Eger had a message for the Boilers.

"To be hosting a meet in this pool is such a privilege," Wright-Eger said. "We want to swim like we're worthy of this nice of a facility."

The Purdue men's and women's swimming and diving teams did exactly that while dominating the Indiana Intercollegiates, the inaugural meet at the new facility.

"I feel like we have taken it to another level just because we're in this pool," Wright-Eger said after her team accumulated 759.5 points — 255 more than second-place Ball State. "I'm almost speechless."

The Boiler women won all 12 events and the men earned the top spot in 11 of 12 events. Both teams took first place in the meet, beating visitors Butler, Ball State, IUPUI, Indianapolis, Valparaiso and Vincennes.

"To be able to have some of the performances we've had and have them this early in the season, hopefully it's indicative of a pretty good season," men's coach Dan Ross said.

Most of the men swam in events that they don't usually swim in, but the Boilers still earned 706 points — 177 more than runner-up Ball State.

"I think it was a really good start for the season," junior breaststroker Gui Rego said. "It's pretty exciting. The pool is just amazing."

Ross, Wright-Eger and Purdue athletic director Morgan Burke, a former Purdue swimmer, started planning the addition of the new $17.1 million facility in the fall of 1994, approximately 20 months after Burke took over as athletic director.

"To be having a meet like this, looking up and seeing the stands packed, it's overwhelming," Ross said. "It's real neat."

At Lambert Pool, the home of Purdue swimming during the last 64 years, fans seldom showed up. On Saturday, there were more than 600 fans taking advantage of the free admission that will be in effect all season.

Not only were there more fans present Saturday than there had ever been at a Purdue swim meet, there were also more volunteers to help with the meet.

Wright-Eger, in her 15th year as Purdue's women's swimming coach, can remember having to look out on the streets 10 minutes before home meets just to get enough timers to work each of the six lanes at Lambert.

Saturday there were two timers for each of the eight lanes and several extra volunteers who helped with odd jobs. Those timers got to see the Boilers post the best times they'd ever posted in an October meet.

Sophomore Tamas Bessenyei won the 100-yard breaststroke in 57.05 seconds), won the 100 butterfly (51.68 seconds) and was part of the winning 200 medley relay team for the men.

Senior Jon Duncan, a member of that 200 medley relay team, won the 100 backstroke in 52.04 seconds.

For the women, junior Lisa Dolansky won the 100 backstroke in 56.3 seconds — nearly her lifetime best — and was on the winning 200 medley relay team, which included juniors Lindsay Lange, Patricia Finnerty and Kim Paradeise.

Lange (100 breaststroke), Finnerty (100 butterfly), and Paradeise (500 freestyle) also won individual events.

"This pool has put us up another notch," Wright-Eger said.

Having a nice diving well to practice on also helped the Boiler divers. Senior Kara Hajek-Gustafson won the one- and three-meter diving events and, with a score of 273.25 on the one-meter board and 254.75 on the three-meter board, she qualified for the NCAA diving zones meet.

"It's so much easier to dive in this pool because you're not so claustrophobic," Hajek-Gustafson said. "The diving team as a whole, we dove a lot better than we thought."

For the men, freshman Eric Warrick won the one-meter event and placed second to freshman teammate Clay Davis in the three-meter competition.

"Everyone's doing good early," Ross said. "I'm incredibly surprised."

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Sports editor:
Paul Trembacki

Assistant sports editor:
Doug Healey

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