Caroline Mallard’s Stellar Debut Helps Purdue Top Illinois

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Caroline Mallard’s Stellar Debut Helps Purdue Top Illinois

Freshman Caroline Mallard started her college career with a pair of wins as Purdue bested Illinois, 167.5-132.5, on Friday.

The Big Ten victory is the 11th straight fall-semester dual meet won by the Boilermakers, dating back to October 2023.

Mallard made a fast start at the ARC Pool in Champaign. She won the 200 butterfly in 1:59.00, a 1-2 finish with Campbell Scofield. Mallard also won the 100 fly, her time of 54.46 outtouching Illinois’ Chloe Diner by three tenths. Mallard was on the Boilermakers’ runner-up 200 medley relay, then teamed with Caitlin Hurley, Adele Sands and Lara Phipps to go 3:26.11 in the 400 freestyle relay and seal the victory.

Sands won the 1,000 free in 10:20.41. Purdue pressed the early edged with a 1-2 in the 100 backstroke, Amie Perna’s 56.82 leading Abbie Kehmeier to the wall. Phipps was second in the 50 free but turned the tables to win the 100 free in 50.93. Lancy Chen won the 200 breaststroke.

Purdue got a huge boost from diving. Avery Worobel won 1-meter with a score of 308.78 with teammate Lucy Dovison second. On 3-meter, Alexia Jackson scored 301.35 to win, with Worobel second and Davison fourth.

Illinois set up a close meet by starting with the 200 medley relay victory. Sophia Paduano, Kayla Duran, Diner and Isabella Wilhelm went 1:42.28 to prevail by a clean second.

Kate Farrell won the 200 free in 1:50.83 for the Illini, then claimed the 500 free in 4:57.22 in the back half. Diner and Duran went 1-2 in the 100 breast, Diner in 1:02.59 and Duran in 1:02.73 to edge Chen’s 1:02.75 in a potentially vital swing. Wilhelm won the 50 free in 23.52 with Maggie Adler third, then Adler was second in the 100.

Out of the diving break, Kalina Nikolaeva won the 200 back in 2:03.07, .23 seconds up on Perna. Mallard checked the hosts momentum by edging Diner in the 100 fly, but Diner returned to win the 200 individual medley in 2:02.78, with teammate Virag Zambo second.

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