WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Two current members and one signee of the Purdue men’s swimming and diving team are headed to Indianapolis this week for the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships.
Matt Stewart will compete in the 1,500 freestyle at this week's national championship meet. (Photo courtesy PurdueSports.com)
Andre Koop kicks off the Boilermakers’ entrants Tuesday with the 400-meter IM. The senior from Newton, Kan., improved his time in fourth on Purdue’s all-time performance list in the event with his 3:50.69 clocking while finishing 13th at the Big Ten Championships.
Matt Stewart takes to the pool Friday for the 1,500 freestyle. The junior from Rochester, Minn., ranks second on Purdue’s all-time performance list in the 500, 1,000 and 1,650 freestyles. He enters the meet with a seed time of 15:19.69, which he recorded while finishing 11th at the Big Ten Championships in the 1,650-yard distance.
“This is the first national meet for Andre and Matt,” head coach Dan Ross said. “We are using these trials as a learning experience.”
Incoming freshman Vinny Donnelly is slated to swim the 400 freestyle Tuesday and join Stewart in the 1,500 freestyle. Donnelly, a Tampa, Fla., native that attended Jesuit High School and swam under Peter Banks at the Brandon Sports & Aquatic Center, has a 15:42.20 seed time in the 1,500 and a time of 3:59.70 in the 400.
Sophomore diver David Boudia is already on the team for the World Championships after his performance at a selection camp in February. (Photo courtesy PurdueSports.com)
The meet, held at the IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI, also serves as the qualifier for the World Championships. The top-two finishers in each event will represent the USA at the FINA World Championships in Rome, Italy, July 17-Aug. 2.
Sophomore diver David Boudia is already on the team for the World Championships after his performance at a selection camp in February. The 2008 Olympian was selected to compete in the platform and also is set to join Olympic teammate Thomas Finchum in the synchronized platform discipline.
