Purdue Olympic Sports Roundup

Feb 6, 2023 - 11:52 PM

They may not be as high profile as shooty hoops or football recruiting, but these guys and girls put it on the line for the Boilermakers every time they hit the pool, tennis court, track or mat. If y’all are in town, these are great events to help indoctrinate your kids. Tickets are cheap, the popcorn and dogs are reasonably priced, and the action is exciting.

Swim and Dive

In a meet with #7 Indiana on January 21st, Purdue came up short 128-161 in combined events. The Boilers then faced a split competition in the Big 10 Triple Duals, with Brady Samuels leading the two team victories over host Northwestern. The sophomore from Muncie set a record at Northwestern’s Norris Aquatics Center, leading stretch of the 400 relay at 43.01 seconds. Purdue came up short in both matchups against #25 Minnesota.

In related news, swimmer Idris Muhammad (not to be confused with the legendary jazz drummer) has been chosen to represent the Big 10 at the NCAA Student Athlete Leadership Forum, which is to be held between the 13th and 16th of April in Baltimore. The sophomore mechanical engineering major from my neck of the woods in Georgia has been a revelation for the team, helping win multiple relays and already posting top-ten times in school history when performing individually.

The men’s swim and dive unit won’t hit the water again until February 22nd at the opening night relay of the Big 10 Championships in hosted by the University of Michigan. That’ll be broadcast on BTN+ beginning at 5:00 p.m. followed by three days of meets with all preliminaries beginning at 10:00 a.m. Finals will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Women’s Swim and Dive

At the same event, the women fell to #9 Indiana 133-159. In the Big 10 quads held between January 27th and 28th, Purdue fell to Northwestern, bested Iowa, dropped to in a rown to Minnesota, beat Iow again, and lost to NU again. It’s been an up and down season so far for the swim and dive unit as a whole.

The team won’t see action again until February 15th at the opening night relay of the Big 10 Championships in hosted by the University of Michigan. This will be available on BTN+ as well, with all prelims and finals beginning at 10:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. (respectively) as well.

Men’s Tennis

The Boilermakers’ men’s tennis team has gotten off to a rough start, posting a 1-5 record with all six matches at home. The lone win came against IUPUI, winning 5-2 at the Schwartz Tennis Center on January 28th. In their to most recent matches, they’ve fallen 2-5 to both DePaul and Dartmouth on February 3rd and 4th.

The Boilers make their first road trip on February 11th, going west to Des Moines to face Drake at 6:00 p.m. EST.

Women’s Tennis

The women’s tennis team has maintained their hot start and remains undefeated through six matches, having most recently defeated Cincinnati 6-1, escaping Ball State 4-3, blanking DePaul 4-0, and another escape of Tulsa 4-3.

The team will spend the next six matches at home until they travel out west to face San Diego State in mid-March. Their next match will be held on Sunday, February 12th at noon as the Boilermakers host Xavier.

Track and Field

Purdue performed well at the Meyo Invite this past weekend, with Cierra Williams further scaling the school record book’s ladder while three other Boilers recorded personal bests.

The track and field team will participate in the Windy City Classic February 10th in Chicago. Where else would it be?

Wrestling

Purdue wrestling currently sits at 4-9 (0-6 Big 10), having lost five straight meets since our last update.

Each of those losses came to a ranked team and the Boilers finally face two unranked teams to finish the season before the Big 10 Championships in the first week of March. Purdue will travel to Maryland to square off against the Terrapins at 7:00 p.m. on February 10th before hosting Northwestern at noon on February 12th.

Looking Further Ahead

Men’s Golf

Men’s golf will host the Puerto Rico Classic at Grand Reserve Golf Course in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico this weekend. The tournament will be held from February 12th through February 14th.

Women’s Golf

Women’s golf will tee it up at the Tulane Classic the same three days as the men’s Puerto Rico Classic, February 12th through 14th. The tournament will be played at English Turn Country Club in New Orleans, Louisiana.