Feb. 17, 2009

2009 Big Ten Championships Information

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's swimming and diving team travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., to meet the rest of the conference at the Big Ten Championships, which begin Wednesday inside the Canham Natatorium on the campus of the University of Michigan.

"The team this year has really developed into a close-knit, hard-working group," head coach John Klinge said. "I think we are all excited to see what we can do at this year's championships. It will be a fun meet. Our relays have steadily improved all year, and they will be a very important part of this weekend's championships. Our team captains will need to lead the way for our young team. We have a pretty inexperienced group that will need to compete like veterans."

Although Klinge is facing his first conference championship meet as a head coach, he is no stranger to Big Ten competition. Klinge was twice awarded All-Big Ten honors while swimming for Purdue, and he helped lead the Ohio State men's team to three top-five finishes during his five years as an assistant coach for the Buckeyes.

Purdue looks to get a big chunk of points from the diving boards as the team returns 85 of its 113 diving points scored at last year's meet. Sophomore Kara Cook enters the championships as the defending platform champion. The Woodlands, Texas, native moved from eighth place after the preliminaries to the top with her finals score of 289.00 points. Cook also placed ninth in the 3-meter competition.

Ashley Karnes also was a big scorer for the Boilermakers last season. The junior from Bloomington, Ind., finished second off the 1-meter board and third from the 3-meter. Senior Emily Wetzel scored in eighth place in the 1-meter competition and placed seventh from the platform. Freshman Casey Matthews, who was named Big Ten Diver of the Week on Feb. 3, also is in a position to contribute to the team's point total.

Allie Smith used last season's championships to break three records in the pool. The sophomore from Green Bay, Wis., broke the school record in the 200 backstroke with her 1:58.66 swim and lowered Purdue's freshman records in the 100 backstroke and 200 IM while scoring in all three events.

Purdue also earned points in all five relays last season, including seventh-place finishes in the 200 freestyle, 200 medley and 400 medley relays. Junior co-captains Leah Henninger and Christine Inman play prominent roles on Purdue's relay teams this season and will be looked to by a team that includes 10 athletes making their conference championships debut.

The Boilermakers have one Michigan native on their travel roster. Sophomore Lisa Butler is from Holland, Mich., which is 150 miles northwest of Ann Arbor.

Purdue finished seventh with 284 points at last year's Big Ten Championships. The Boilermakers have earned 17 individual conference titles and scored their highest finish of fourth in 1991 and 1992. Since 1992, Purdue has finished fifth five times, most recently in 2005.

The Big Ten features five teams ranked in this week's poll, including defending conference champion Minnesota and host Michigan. The championships begin Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET with the 200 medley and 800 freestyle relays. Competition continues Thursday and Friday before the championships conclude Saturday. All three days feature a session of trials that begins at 11 a.m., and a session of finals that begins at 6:30 p.m.

This week marks the eighth time the Canham Natatorium has served as a Big Ten Championships host, and the fourth time the women's championship meet has been held in the building. Live results of the meet can be found at purduesports.com. The Big Ten Championships will be broadcast on tape delay by the Big Ten Network on Feb. 28 at 8 ET.

Purdue Boilermakers