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GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 23 • 30 drove in a pair of runs. Purdue contin- ues its nonconference schedule with a three- game series at No. 3 LSU this weekend in Baton Rouge. Boilers take sixth at Big tens Behind a strong performance in the platform dive event, Purdue finished sixth at the Big Ten Swimming and Div- ing Championships over the weekend. No. 2 Michigan won the event, leading six top-25 pro- grams and outpacing second- place No. 6 Indiana by over 300 points. Nate Cox's second-place performance in the platform dive led Purdue, as Sean Mokh- tari finished eighth. The Boilers' 400-freestyle relay set a new pro- gram record en route to a fifth- place finish while Lyam Dias set a school record of his own in the 200 breaststroke, finishing sec- ond in the A-final of the event. softBall struggles in alaBama Facing a stacked field at the Easton Crimson Classic, Purdue struggled to a 1-4 record as un- earned runs undid the Boilers on a num- ber of occasions. The Boilers opened the weekend with three straight losses to No. 11 Alabama and No. 9 Florida State. Purdue dropped a fourth consecutive game to Houston before snap- ping a five-game skid with a 5-2 victory over the Cou- gars a day later. Andie Varsho led Purdue (6- 11-1) in the win, go- ing 2-for-3 at the plate and scoring once. Var- sho struggled most of the weekend, fin- ishing 3-for-12 at the plate while walking four times. Sopho- more Mary Gooding picked up some of the slack for the Boil- ers, going 6-for-14 on the weekend with three runs and one run batted in. Junior Ashley Burkhardt reached base safely in four of the five games on the weekend, fin- ishing 5-for-17 in Alabama with one run and two runs batted in. In the circle for Purdue, Lily Fecho had three strong outings, going at least six innings in all three games. The sophomore finished with 20 innings pitched, allowing only 14 hits and three earned runs. Fecho struck out 20 batters while only issuing seven walks. However, five unearned runs led to a pair of losses. The Boilers continue their early-season travels with the Georgia Softball Classic in Athens this weekend. Purdue will play two games against Tennessee Tech and one against Kent State before closing with two games against the host Bulldogs. Women's tennis drops conference opener Purdue opened the Big Ten season on the road against one of the con- ference's premier teams and almost came away with a victory. However, No. 7 North- western (6-3 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) escaped with a 4-3 win over the Boilers (4-4, 0-1). The Boilers will look to get their first conference win this weekend when they host Illi- nois (6-4) on Sunday. The men's program earned a non-conference vic- tory over the weekend with a 7-0 shutout of visiting Bradley, run- ning Purdue's record to 5-1 early in the spring season. The Boilers will carry a four-match winning streak into this weekend's match against DePaul before opening Big Ten play against Northwest- ern (10-4) on Sunday. golfers, Wrestlers in action The men's golf team returned to action this weekend at the USF Invitational. The three-day event began on Sunday and continues through Tuesday, with competi- tion taking place in Dade City, Fla. Purdue's wrestlers begin postseason play this weekend when the Boilers travel to Madi- son, Wis. for the Big Ten Champi- onships on Saturday and Sunday. j Lily Fecho Lyam Dias It's All On GoldandBlack.com The Best Purdue Sports Information On The Web • Real-time recruiting • Game stories, analysis and blogs • Premium message boards • Video, audio, live stream events and more • Exclusive access to premium information Part of the Rivals.com network Sign up for a 7-day free trial today! Note: GoldandBlack.com is a separate subscription than your subscription to Gold & Black Illustrated/Gold and Black EXPRESS.