The Penn State men’s swimming and diving team seniors were sent off in grand fashion in their final home meet of their Nittany Lion career at McCoy Natatorium, as the 400 freestyle relay team of John Hauser (Pottstown, Pa.), Shane Austin (Kennett Square, Pa.), Nate Savoy (Reading, Pa.) and Shane Ryan (Havertown, Pa.) broke the pool record with a time of 2:57.40. The previous record was 2:59.79.
Penn State won both of the head-to-head duals on Saturday, taking down Towson by a score of 183-114 and St. Bonaventure by a final of 200-95. The two victories give the Blue and White a final dual meet record of 7-1 on the season.
The Nittany Lions got off to a great start on Saturday, claiming first and second place in the opening 200 medley relay. The team of Savoy, James Wilson (Nottingham, Pa.), Ryan and Austin touched the wall in 1:28.69 to secure the victory.
The Blue and White continued its early dominance in the individual events. Freshman Matt Stasiunas (Avondale, Pa.) won his first race of his Nittany Lion career, turning in a time of 9:30.62 in the 1,000 freestyle, finishing nearly six second faster than the second place finisher. Nick Ankosko (East Brunswick, N.J.) quickly followed up the freshman’s win with a victory in the 200 freestyle by turning in a time of 1:40.28. Penn State’s Bob Bantley (Maple Glen, Pa.) and Matt Salig (Downington, Pa.) finished second and third, respectively, in the event.
Ryan, the sophomore standout, continued his recent run of success by winning the 100 backstroke, posting a time of 47.87 to win by over two seconds in the race. The time qualifies as an NCAA “B” standard.
Freshman Andrew Schuehler (Camden, N.J.) extended the Nittany Lions’ winning streak to five-straight events to open the meet when the swimmer touched the wall first in the 100 breaststroke in 55.89. The victory is Schuehler’s second of the season in individual competition.
The Blue and White were unable to continue its run of first place finishes, as Towson’s Matt McKenney claimed the best time in the 200 butterfly but it did not take long for Penn State to get back to the top of the podium. Hauser impressed in the 50 freestyle competition, recording a time of 20.18 for the first place finish. With the win, Hauser was victorious in the 50 freestyle in both home meets this season.
After the 15 minute intermission the Nittany Lions picked up right where they left off, by finishing first and second in the 100 freestyle. Savoy was the first to touch the wall with a time of 44.56 and Scott Heil (New Brunswick, N.J.) came in at 45.64. Ryan followed up the win by completing his personal sweep of the backstroke events, finishing first in the 200 with a time of 1:49.29.
Ankosko picked up his second victory of the afternoon in the 500 freestyle race. The junior was the only competitor to turn in a time under 4:30, coming in at 4:28.81. Hauser earned a second place finish with, posting a mark of 4:32.13. Austin then posted a win in his final meet at McCoy Natatorium by edging out the field in the 100 butterfly with a time of 50.47.
In the diving portion of the afternoon, Penn State’s duo of T.J. Schenkel (Richboro, Pa.) and Lucas Kachurick (McKeesport, Pa.) owned the rest of the field. The tandem placed first and second in the one and three meter events. Schenkel finished atop the podium in both competitions with a score of 330.55 in the three meter and a mark of 299.55 in the one meter. Kachurick’s solid afternoon consisted of scores of 307.40 in the three meter and 268.25 in the one meter dives.
Saturday concludes the dual meet portion of the schedule, as both the men's and women's squads begin gearing up for the Big Ten and NCAA Championships. The Blue and White will have a week to prepare for the Ohio State invite on February 8 and 9 in Columbus, Ohio.
The Penn State women’s swimming and diving team sent its seniors off on a high note in the final home meet of the season, claiming victories against both Towson and St. Bonaventure on Saturday at McCoy Natatorium. The Nittany Lions posted top marks in 12-of-16 events on the day, including both relays and each diving event.
The Nittany Lions edged Towson by a count of 166-133 and overpowered St. Bonaventure in a 232-64 decision to put Penn State’s dual meet record at 5-2 at the end of the head-to-head portion of the season.
The team of Mackenzie Powers (Sycamore, Ill.), Haley Sinatro (West Hartford, Conn.), Katie Saloky (Bloomsburg, Pa.) and Carolyn Fittin (Sea Girt, N.J.) set the pace for the Blue and White, kicking off the meet with a victory in the 200 medley relay in 1:43.01. Fittin closed the meet in similar fashion, registering the top mark in the 400 free relay with Alyson Ackman (Montreal, Quebec), Kaitlin Jones (Midlothian, Va.) and Katelyn Miller (Hershey, Pa.) with a time of 3:25.53.
Fittin, Powers and Ackman also performed well in the individual events, combining for five first place finishes. Fittin claimed the top time in the 50 free, touching the wall first in 23.49, while Powers and Ackman posted two wins apiece. Powers, one-of-seven seniors honored in Saturday’s event, clocked in at 54.84 to win the 100 backstroke and turned in the fastest mark in the 100 butterfly in 54.72. Ackman, a sophomore standout for the Lions, topped the field in the 100 free in 49.74 and also notched a victory in the 500 free with a time of 4:50.07.
Gabi Shishkoff (Franklin, Mass.) recorded a memorable performance in the 100 breaststroke in her final meet at McCoy Natatorium. The senior registered a personal-best time of 2:18.91 to win the event, clipping nearly two seconds off her previous best time of 2:20.07 from two weeks ago.
Melisa Rodriguez (Chihuahua, Mexico) and Katie Rowe (Glenville, N.Y.) also earned victories for the Nittany Lions. Rodriguez swam her way to a first place finish in the 100 breaststroke in 1:02.87 while Rowe clocked in at 2:01.45 to claim first in the 200 butterfly.
Senior Megan Springsteen (Oswego, N.Y.) and freshman Mackenzie Cornell (Germantown, Md.) posted a clean sweep of the diving events for the Blue and White. Springsteen notched a season-best effort on the one-meter board, finishing with a high score of 253.65, and placed second on the three-meter with a mark of 256.85. Cornell helped complete the sweep for the divers, placing first on the three-meter with a score of 276.00 and turning in a mark of 240.70 on the one-meter for a second place finish.
The Nittany Lions return to the pool next weekend, traveling to Columbus, Ohio to compete in the Ohio State Invite. The two-day meet will begin on Saturday morning and concludes on Sunday.
The Towson University men's swimming and diving team earned a split against Penn State and Saint Bonaventure on Saturday afternoon, enabling the team to win its 11th meet of the season and improve to 11-2 overall. It is the most wins in a single season for the program since the 1981-82 season when the Tigers went 12-0.
The Tigers defeated Saint Bonaventure 182-112 while falling to the Nittany Lions 183-114.
"It was a great day and has been a great season for our men," Towson Head Coach Pat Mead said. "I'm very proud to have had the opportunity to coach this team this season."
The Tigers got strong performances from the trio of Jeremy Liu, Matt Lowe and Matt McKenney.
Liu won the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:03.66 while placing second in the 100-yard breaststroke in 57.17.
Lowe had a pair of top five overall finishes, placing third in the 500-yard freestyle in 4:39.41 and fifth in the 200-yard butterfly in 1:53.36.
For McKenney, the sophomore was outstanding in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 50.66 to place second. He also won the 200-yard butterfly in 1:52.67.
The meet completed the regular season for Towson, as it now begins preparations for the Colonial Athletic Association Championships, beginning February 26-March 1.
The Towson University women's swimming and diving team earned a split against Penn State and Saint Bonaventure on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers defeated Saint Bonaventure 266-33 while falling to the Nittany Lions 166-133.
The Tigers were led by senior Kaitlin Burke and sophomore Charlotte Holz, who each had impressive performances.
Burke won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:50.11 and the 1,000-yard freestyle in 10:03.64 to cap off an impressive senior campaign in her final regular season meet of her career.
Holz won the 200-yard individual medley in 2:04.86 and placed second in the 200-yard backstroke in 2:04.07 while also finishing fourth in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:50.64.
"It was a great win over Saint Bonaventure," Towson Head Coach Pat Mead said. "We tried our best against Penn State. Kaitlin was solid in her two wins, which were back-to-back events. With those two wins, she completes her senior year undefeated in individual events. Charlotte was very tough today and posted great swims in all three her individual events."
The meet completed the regular season for Towson, as it now begins preparations for the Colonial Athletic Association Championships, beginning February 26-March 1.
