Mens Swimming: Irish fall to Purdue, but see improvement
Observer Staff Report
After their comeback victory at Texas Christian the week before, the Notre Dame mens swimming and diving team had momentum and high expectations coming into their meet against Purdue Friday night.
The 18th-ranked Boilermakers proved worthy of their ranking, handing the Irish a disappointing loss. The Irish were defeated 175-123 in the dual meet at Rolfs Aquatic Center and are now 4-3 on the season.
The 400 medley relay team of Jason Fitzpatrick, Frank Krakowski, Tim Randolph and Doug Bauman continued their winning streak, coming out on top for the Irish in the first event of the meet and earning their best finish of the season. The Irish took control of the tightly-contested race in the last leg, winning by .07 of a second with a time of 3:27.19. However, the Boilermakers quickly took over the contest by winning the next three events.
For the Irish, Randolph had a very strong day, winning the 100 breaststroke in 58.31, his best time of the season. Randolph also placed second in the 100 freestyle with a time of 47.26, losing by less than one second to Purdue's Louis Paul.
Purdue dominated the dual meet by taking first in 11 events on the evening. However, the 400 freestyle relay team of Krakowski, J.R. Teddy, Randolph and Matt Obringer again turned in a winning effort, touching the wall first with a time of 3:09.39, another record for the season.
Three more swimmers had their best finishes this year, as freshman Patrick Davis came in second in the 1650 freestyle with 16:03.37. In the 200 freestyle, junior Matt Obringer swam 1:42.14, just a tenth of a second behind Paul to place second. Junior Lucas Wymore came in a close third in the 200 butterfly and qualified for the Big East championship with a time of 1:54.96.
"We knew Purdue was good, and to be 50 points away shows our team is improving so much from last year," said Wymore. "Our team has really come together, and our transition to becoming a national powerhouse is starting."
Notre Dame's Joseph Miller won the three-meter diving event with a score of 325.35. Miller finished second in the one-meter contest.
The Irish will look to turn in a good performance at the Notre Dame Invitational. Notre Dame will host the meet December 6-8 at the Rolfs Aquatic Center.
All Sports Stories for Monday, November 25, 2002
