Purdue Men Sign Three

WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana, December 8. PURDUE men's swimming and diving head coach Dan Ross today announced the signings of David Colturi, Chris Pfaff and Matt Stewart. The three fall signees will join the team for the start of the 2007-08 season.

Colturi brings depth to the diving side, while Pfaff and Stewart will help the swimmers.

A native of Sylvania, Ohio, Colturi is one of the nation's top divers off the platform tower. This past year, Colturi won the senior men's platform title at the Speedo U.S. Open Qualification Meet with 365.40 points, placed third at the Junior Summer East Championships (432.80) and was eighth at the Speedo Junior National Diving Championships (427.30).

"We believe David is the No. 1 recruit in the country off the platform and that his best diving is ahead of him," said 2006 Big Ten Diving Coach of the Year Adam Soldati. "David's academic excellence coupled with his strong upbringing and character make a perfect fit for a Boilermaker. It's a blessing to have David and his family be a part of our program."

Colturi also can handle the springboards. His most recent top showings include a fifth-place finish off the 3-meter at USA Diving Senior Zone B Championships and a pair of runner-up placings at the 2006 Spring East Nationals.

"Adam has done a great job of recruiting in his first two years," said Ross. "With guys like Danny (Cox), Kyle (Mitrione), J.P. (Perez) and now David, our diving team is set for the next several seasons. David is an Olympic-quality diver and it will be fun to see Adam work his magic with him."

Pfaff hails from Notre Dame's backyard of Elkhart, Ind., where he's currently a student at Riley High School. Pfaff also competes for the South Bend Swim Club.

Pfaff is regarded as one of the country's top 50 swimmers (17-18 year olds) in the 50 free, 100 back and 100 fly according to rankings compiled by USA Swimming. His short-course yardage time of 51.0 in the 100 back ranks him No. 25 in the country among 17 year olds.

Pfaff's top 50 free time is listed at 21.2 and his best 100 fly mark is a 57.9.

"We've had our eye on Chris for some time, he's a diamond in the rough-type of talent and I think he's going to surprise some people just like Aaron Koger has this season," said Ross.

Stewart should make an immediate impact in the Boilermakers' lineup if he continues to improve on his middle-to-long distance freestyle times. His 400 and 800 long-course meter times of 4:01.1 and 8:20.1 have him ranked 11th and 12th in the nation, and his 500 free short-course mark of 4:30.7 has him listed 19th.

Stewart will be coming to Purdue from Rochester, Minn., where he's currently a student at Mayo High School. His older sister, Karrie, is a junior on Purdue's swimming team who also specializes in the distance events.

"We're thrilled to death to have Matt joining our team," said Ross. "He's going to bolster our distance events and join a good crew alongside Travis Smith and Sean Davis. He's also very versatile; I think he's also going to flourish in the individual medley."

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