WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The FIU women's swimming and diving team wrapped up the Purdue Invitational, securing a second-place finish as the midseason meet concluded Saturday at the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center.

It marks FIU's best performance at the Purdue Invitational since 2019, when the team also secured a second-place finish.
 
The Panthers highlighted the day with three NCAA "B" cuts and five top-five finishes across various swimming events.
 
Nicole Frank and Sally Olsson led the charge in the 200-breaststroke A-final, claiming second and third place, respectively. Frank, a junior, clocked a time of 2:11.62, marking her first NCAA "B" cut of the season. Olsson followed closely with a "B" cut performance of 2:12.30. The Panthers were well-represented in the event, with Ellie Maradyn finishing sixth (2:16.54) and Lutnya Bogdanova in seventh (2:16.73). Ingrid Huszar added to the success by winning the B-final with a time of 2:17.09.
 
In the 100-yard freestyle, Diana Santamaria took fifth in the A-final with a time of 50.34. In the B-final, Jessica Shpilko finished fourth (50.82), followed by Tawannah McLemore in fifth (50.98) and Emma Becker in sixth (51.19).
 
Graduate student Ellie Maradyn shined in the 1650-yard freestyle, earning fourth place in the grueling timed-mile event with a 16:53.93 finish. Teammates Sophie Kiryk (ninth, 16:53.93), Harliai Curthoys-Davies (tenth, 17:22.51), and Gabrielle Puryear-Lynch (eleventh, 17:28.50) also contributed valuable points.
 
Claudia Frasca impressed in the 200-yard backstroke, achieving a "B" cut during the preliminaries with a time of 1:58.79 and finishing seventh in the A-final (2:00.06). In the 200-yard butterfly, Puryear-Lynch represented FIU with an eighth-place finish (2:07.23).
 
The meet concluded with the 400-yard freestyle relay, where the team of Becker, McLemore, Santamaria, and Shpilko finished third with a time of 3:21.49.
 
In diving, freshman Brooke Megdall posted a personal best score of 242.60 to secure fourth place and a zone cut. Sophomore Kristina Keenan placed sixth (232.55), while Ruska Lehtonen finished ninth (203.65).

FINAL SCORES
1) Purdue - 1326.5
2) FIU - 737
3) GCU - 476.5
4) SIU - 449
5) Illinois State - 361
6) McKendree - 199
 
UP NEXT
FIU prepares for the CSCAA Open Water National Championships on Sunday, Dec. 15 from the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center at 10 a.m.

The Panthers then roll into meet action the following day on Monday, Dec. 16, taking on the Marshall Thundering Herd at 4 p.m. from the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center

BAPTIST HEALTH
Presented by Baptist Health, The Official Sports Medicine Provider of FIU Athletics

SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@FIUMSwimDive), Twitter (@FIUSwimDive), and Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSwimmingAndDiving) for all the latest Swimming and Diving news.
 
General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.