IU Men Beat In-state Rival Purdue to End Dual-meet Season, 144-97

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN, February 11. THE No. 13 Indiana men's swimming and diving squad improved to 10-4 on the season and 4-2 against Big Ten teams after dominating No. 15 Purdue, 144-97, Saturday at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center in West Lafayette, Ind., per IU reports.

Overall, the Hoosiers won nine out of 13 titles, while freshman Alex Brunfeldt, senior Murph Halasz and freshman Todd Patrick paced IU with two event titles each.

The win also accomplished the first 10-win season in 20 years for the Hoosiers. The last time IU picked up double-digit head-to-head victories was in 1985, when the Cream and Crimson went 10-2 with a Big Ten title under James 'Doc' Counsilman.

Additionally, the triumph moved Indiana ahead, 4.5-3.5, in the Crimson and Gold Cup standings, with the next rivalry battle coming on Feb. 18 between the wrestling squads in Bloomington.

"It was really interesting," Indiana head coach Ray Looze said. "We tried to put in a lineup that would give us a chance to win any of the races. Purdue took some risks. They pulled a guy that was certain to win the IM and put him in the 200 free and they lost both. When that happened, they didn't have any margin for error. They couldn't take those losses. Our depth came through for us. I was pleased with how our young guys swam. Alex Brunfeldt was extremely tough. It was very nice to see him rack up some wins. I was also pleased with the team spirit and how tough we swam. It was a Hoosier way of doing business."

In the opening event of the afternoon, Indiana jumped out to an 11-6 lead in the 400-yard medley relay. The quartet of freshman Ben Hesen, junior Kevin Swander, Halasz and Patrick claimed the crown in a B-cut time of 3:16.51. The effort also proved to be the sixth-fastest time in IU lore. Purdue's squad of junior David Hughes, sophomore Giordan Pogioli, junior Iggy Goh and freshman Trey Smith took second in 3:19.25, while their teammates freshman Luke Dickson, freshman Dan Walter, freshman Jon Ranochak and junior John Arzner finished third in 3:23.53. Also of note, senior Niles Madison's 100-yard backstroke leadoff leg of 52.56 for the fifth-place IU effort was a personal best.

In the 1,000-yard freestyle, IU shot ahead 25-11 with a top-two sweep. The freshman tandem of Brunfeldt (9:23.30) and John Kevin Koehler (9:26.01) locked down the top spots for the Hoosiers, while Purdue sophomore Mark Wolfred finished third in 9:30.95.

In the platform diving break, the Hoosiers struck out to a 41-14 lead over the Boilermakers with a top-three sweep. Senior Marc Carlton notched his eighth title in his last nine tries with a 371.10 to win the event. Sophomore Brian Mariano took second with a 321.23, while senior Ryan Fagan finished in third with a 312.53 tally. All three marks cleared the zone-qualifying standard

In the 200-yard freestyle, IU continued its rock-solid performance as junior Sergiy Fesenko posted an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 1:37.91, which also shaved two seconds off his previous personal best. The time also is the 10th-fastest in school history. Meanwhile, Purdue junior Louis Paul took second in a B-cut time of 1:38.38. Additionally, sophomore Colin Russell rounded out the top three with a 1:39.82.

In the 50-yard freestyle, the Cream and Crimson stretched its lead out to 70-23 in an event highlighted by three career bests for IU. Sophomore Kyle Ruth captured the event crown in 20.97, while Swander posted a personal-best time of 21.01 for second place. Purdue's Goh took third in 21.04. Notably, sophomores Lee Houchin (21.11) and Drew Ossakow (21.31) registered career-best clockings in the sprint.

In the 200-yard IM, Indiana pushed its lead to 80-32 with its sixth consecutive event title. Patrick cleared the B-cut standard with a first-place 1:49.03. Purdue's Pogioli finished in second in 1:51.32, while teammate Jin-Soo Kim wound up third in 1:51.85. Also of note, IU freshman Ronnie Hehn blew past his personal-best time by five seconds with a 1:52.15 for fifth place.

In the 200-yard butterfly, IU extended its lead to 95-36 as Halasz eclipsed the B-cut standard with a first-place 1:47.69. Fesenko sliced two seconds off his personal best in the event with a second-place 1:48.17, while Purdue sophomore Blake Scholz placed third in 1:49.26. Remarkably, Fesenko's time also stands at the fourth-fastest effort in IU history.

In the 100-yard freestyle, the Cream and Crimson kept dropping the hammer on the Boilermakers to vault out to a 108-42 margin. Houchin finished first with a career-best 45.32, while Purdue's Paul touched second in 45.70. Meanwhile, Russell placed second for IU in 45.90.

Purdue snapped Indiana's title parade in the 200-yard backstroke when freshman Romain Maire touched first in 1:49.09. Junior Mike Jones took second for IU in 1:49.83, while Patrick closed out the top three with a 1:51.10. At the end of the event, the Hoosiers maintained a 117-52 lead over the Boilermakers.

The Hoosiers countered in the 500-yard freestyle with another top-two sweep. Brunfeldt cruised to a personal-best time of 4:33.28 to claim the crown in front of teammate Koehler's second-place 4:35.35. Purdue's Wolfred completed the top three with a 4:38.05. At the conclusion of the distance event, IU owned a 131-57 lead.

In the 200-yard breaststroke, IU began exhibitioning swimmers to keep the score close. Pogioli won the event in 1:57.90 to out-touch Swander's 1:59.36 non-scoring effort. Both times cleared the provisional qualifying standard. Kim took second for Purdue in 2:02.50, while Hehn shattered his personal-best time by six seconds with a 2:03.23 for third place. Indiana held a 138-69 lead after the swim.

In the 400-yard freestyle relay, the two squads touched the wall at the same time for first place. Indiana, however, withdrew its time from scoring consideration for sportsmanship reasons. IU's quartet of Fesenko, Houchin, senior David Winck and Russell clocked a 3:02.07, while Purdue squad of Paul, freshman John Mullen, Maire and freshman Trey Smith did the same. Purdue's team of Goh, junior Eric Prugh, Arzner and sophomore Andre Pereira finished in second in 3:06.81. Notably, Fesenko's leadoff 100-yard free time of 46.33 is a personal best. Indiana remained in the lead, 138-84, after the relay.

In the final event reported, Purdue sophomore Steve LoBue won the one-meter event with a 336.01. IU's Carlton placed second for only the second time in his last 10 events with a 335.55. Purdue senior Clay Davis rounded out the top three with a 315.90 tally.

Next up, the Cream and Crimson head to Minneapolis, Minn., Feb. 24-26 for the 2005 Big Ten Championships.

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