ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Penn State men's swimming & diving took on day three of the Big Ten Championships Friday at Canham Natatorium.
"First I want to congratulate Kevin Sullivan on being selected to receive the sportsmanship award. An honor well deserved," says Penn State head coach Tim Murphy. "On the boards, Kevin scored in the consolation heat for the second day. Hayden continues to score points and will be an important part of our day tomorrow on tower. In the pool, once again we had excellent swims today. Numerous best times and first-time scorers at this meet. The freshman class continues to play an important role. Tomorrow will be the most challenging day for our entire team."
"Kevin put together another round of strong dives after fighting his way back," says Penn State head diving coach Jeff DiNicola. "Tomorrow we are looking to continue with some clean dives off the platform."
Top Swims:
Friday's final events were kick started with a podium finish by sophomore Victor Baganha in the 100 fly. Baganha touched at 45.48 for a fourth place finish and an NCAA B-Cut with his time. Sophomore Sam Folger (48.39) and freshman Erik Bolang (48.95) followed to earn points for the Nittany Lions in the 100 fly.
Up next, senior+ Will Lulek competed in the 400 IM for a time of 3:46.96 and an NCAA B-Cut. Lulek finished in seventh place on the podium overall.
In the 200 free, freshman Eduardo Cisternas dropped 0.52 from his preliminary time to finish at 1:36.37, finishing second in his heat.
Four Nittany Lions took to the lanes in the 100 breast. Freshman Mariano Lazzerini finished eighth overall at 52.58. Junior Ben Doyle finished close behind at 53.84, taking home an NCAA B-cut alongside Lazzerini. Junior Tommy Hurley (54.46) and senior Dan Räisänen (55.43) followed to close this event.
Freshman Cooper Morley headed up to the podium during finals after the 100 back with a fifth place finish overall and an NCAA B-cut. With his preliminary race Friday morning, Morley now stands with the fourth fastest time in program history for the men's 100 back at 45.89.
Senior Lachlan Byrne followed in the 100 back with an NCAA B-cut with his time of 46.49, with freshman Matthew Bittner (48.24) and sophomore Jack Harvey (49.02) just behind.
Relays:
The team of Baganha, Lazzerini, Byrne, and Hurley entered the 200 free relay placing seventh overall at 1:18.63.
Diving:
Following Friday's preliminary events, senior Kevin Sullivan scored 283.35 on the 3-meter dive.
Points Scored:
100 Fly: 33
400 IM: 23
200 Free: 7
100 Breast: 29.5
100 Back: 48
3-meter dive: 11
200 Free Relay: 46
Up Next:
The Nittany Lions men's squad will continue on to the final day of the Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
Keep up with Penn State swimming and diving by following the team on Instagram (@PennStateSwimDive), Twitter (@PennStateSWIM) and Facebook (Penn State Swimming & Diving).
