Wolverines Dump Boilermakers in Conference Opener

Friday, January 16

West Lafayette, Ind.

5:00 PM

Michigan

129

114

Purdue

1/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team opened its 2003-04 Big Ten Conference season with a 129-114 victory at Purdue Friday evening (Jan. 16) in the Boilermaker Aquatic Center.

Senior captain Dan Ketchum (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore HS) turned in the performance of the evening with a first-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle when he touched the wall in an NCAA consideration time of 4:25.85. Ketchum's time clocked in 1.56 seconds under the NCAA "B" standard of 4:27.41.

Ketchum led a 1-2-3 finish in the event, as sophomores Davis Tarwater (Knoxville, Tenn./Webb School) and Jorge Carral (Mexico City, Mexico/The Bolles School, Fla.) placed second and third with times of 4:33.88 and 4:36.98, respectively.

Michigan's other NCAA "B" standard performance came from junior Andrew Hurd (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Trafalger), who touched the wall in 1:39.07 to win the 200-yard freestyle. Hurd's time exactly matched the NCAA consideration standard cutoff.

In addition to the 1-2-3 showing in the 500 free, Michigan claimed two other sweeps of the top three spots. The Wolverines finished first through third in the 1,000-yard freestyle, led by Brendan Neligan's (Hempstead, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy HS) victory in 9:21.45. Following Neligan into the wall were Carral and junior Nicholas Douville (Dayton, Ohio/Archbishop Alter HS), who turned in times of 9:23.36 and 9:24.15, respectively.

Tarwater paced the third and final sweep when he posted a time of 1:49.98 to win the 200-yard individual medley. Sophomore Peter Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS), the reigning Big Ten Conference Swimmer of the Week, placed second with a time of 1:50.23, while Ketchum was third in 1:50.85.

Chris DeJong (Holland, Mich./Holland HS) also earned an individual victory when he recorded a time of 45.77 in the 100-yard freestyle. Michigan earned both relay titles, posting times of 3:19.15 in the 400-yard medley relay and 3:02.58 in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

The Wolverines return to action Saturday afternoon (Jan. 17) when they travel to Bloomington, Ind., to face Big Ten rival Indiana at 1 p.m. in the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center.

Contact: Gene Skidmore (734) 763-4423