NCAA Div. I Men: #18 Purdue Beats Notre Dame, 175-123 -- November 22, 2002

NOTRE DAME, Ind., Nov. 22. THE University of Notre Dame men's swimming and diving team were defeated today by the 18th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers in dual meet action at the Rolfs Aquatic Center. The Irish are now 4-3 this season after losing tonight's meet 175-123.

The Irish 400 medley relay team of freshman Doug Bauman, senior Jason Fitzpatrick, sophomore Frank Krakowski and freshman Tim Randolph started the meet with a win, finishing in a time of 3:27.19. The race was tight throughout, with the Irish taking the lead in the final leg and winning by the slimmest of margins (.07 of a second) over the Boilermaker team of Kyle Jackson, Tamas Bessenyei, Blake Scholz, and Eric Prugh.

Notre Dame held the lead in the meet for only a short time as Purdue took first place in the next three events.

Randolph gave the Irish a second event win by taking first place in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 58.31. Randolph had a great meet as he also provided Notre Dame a second-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 47.26. Randolph lost by less than one second to Purdue's Louis Paul who registered a 46.37.

In diving action, Notre Dame senior Joseph Miller won the three-meter event by diving his way to a score of 325.35. With a score of 323.62, the Boilermakers' Clayton Davis came in second. Earlier in the meet, Davis took first place over Miller in one-meter diving action, winning by the score of 322.87 to 278.55.

Purdue won 11 events on the evening, but the Irish rallied in the final event by winning the 400-yard freestyle relay. The team of Krakowski, J.R. Teddy, Randolph and Matt Obringer took first in 3:09.39.

Notre Dame will be in action again and looking to rebound from tonight's setback when it hosts the Notre Dame Invitational December 6-8 at the Rolfs Aquatic Center.