Feb. 25, 2014
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Feb. 25, 2014 - The No. 24 Penn State men's swimming and diving team travels to Ann Arbor, Mich. this week for the Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships. The four day competition starts on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. with the 200 medley and 800 freestyle relays. Each of the following three days will have prelims beginning at 11 a.m. and the finals at 6:30 p.m.
The Nittany Lions are looking to improve on their eighth place finish from a season ago, scoring 212 points at the championships. The Blue and White had five individuals reach the "A" finals last year, with now junior Nate Savoy (Reading, Pa.) and Nick Ankosko (East Brunswick, N.J.) combining for three of the top eight finishes.
Savoy placed third in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:40.69 and fifth in the 100 backstroke, touching the wall in 46.51. Ankosko recorded a time of 4:20.48 in the 500 freestyle for eighth place.
This season the team is primed to increase its point total from last season. Sophomore sensation Shane Ryan (Havertown, Pa.) enters the championships with a top-10 time in all three of his individual events, which include the 50 and 100 freestyle and the 100 backstroke. Ryan has turned in the top time of the season in the Big Ten in the 100 backstroke with a time of 46.71 at the Texas Invite on December 6.
Senior John Hauser (Pottstown, Pa.) will join Ryan in the 100 freestyle event and also compete in the 200 freestyle. The senior posted the second fastest time in the 100 freestyle with a mark of 43.44 at the Texas Invitational on December 6. Hauser's time of 1:35.74 in the 200 places him with the seventh best mark heading into the Big Tens. The senior also has top eight times in the 50 and 500 freestyle but will not compete in the events this weekend.
Savoy will look to better his already solid performances from the 2013 championships. The junior is slated to compete in the 100 and 200 backstroke events and the 200 IM. Savoy ranks second in the 100 backstroke this season with a time of 46.78, just .07 seconds behind teammate and top-ranked Ryan. In the 200 backstroke Savoy enters with the fourth best time with a mark of 1:42.26 and is 11th in the 200 IM, turning in a time of 1:47.51.
The Blue and White also has positioned itself to earn valuable points in the relays. The 200 freestyle relay team consisting of Jeff Young (Hershey, Pa.) Hauser, Ryan and Savoy have posted the second best time in the competition with a 1:19.56 at the Texas Invitational on December 5. The Nittany Lions also rank third in the 200 medley relay, and fourth in the 400 and 800 freestyle relay races. The team's best finish in 2013 in a relay was recorded in the 200 medley, coming in fourth.
A total of 25 swimmers and divers will be competing for Penn State at the Big Ten Championships this week. The following is a list of the swimmers and divers who will be participating in Ann Arbor: Nick Ankosko, Shane Austin, Bob Bantley, Chris Cipolla, Jon Ekstrom, Kevin Glenn, Matt Grillo, John Hauser, Scott Heil, Lucas Kachurick, Connall Loughlin, Kyle Madley, Ryan Magee, Thomas Mershon, Shane Ryan, Matt Salig, Nate Savoy, T.J. Schenkel, Andrew Schuehler, Jon Seiferth, Andrew Sideras, Matt Stasiunas, Seth Wensel, James Wilson and Jeff Young.
More information concerning the four-day event can be found at the Championship Central page here.