UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Four members of the Penn State Swimming and Diving team were recognized on the Big Ten Preseason Athletes to Watch list, announced by the conference on Wednesday.
The Big Ten has chosen to recognize a swimmer and diver from the men’s and women’s teams at each school, selecting junior diver Hayden Elliott and junior swimmer Mariano Lazzerini on the men's side, along with fifth-year senior swimmer Margaret Markvardt and sophomore diver Abbey Ekstrom on the women’s side.
Junior diver Hayden Elliot splashed in the 2023-34 season with the Nittany Lions putting up major scores throughout the year. The San Antonio, Texas native recorded season bests in Penn State’s matchup against Villinova, with a score of 375.83 in his three meter dive, and a career-best score of 392.48 on the one meter dive. Elliott finished 18th in the prelims of the Big Ten Championships with a big score of 291.50.
Junior Mariano Lazzerini reached new heights in his 2023-24 campaign, setting a new school record in the men's 100 meter breaststroke with an incredible 51.08 time, securing himself an individual Big Ten title and a ticket to the NCAA Championship. At the NCAA championship, Lazzerini finished 14th to earn second-team All American honors. Santiago, Chile native was also a member of the men’s 400 yard medley relay that placed 16th nationally with a time of 3:05.85. Lazzerini was also a part of the men’s 200 medley relay that finished in second place at the Big Ten Championship, breaking a school record with a time of 1:22.93 and posted an NCAA B Cut time. Both his individual and collaborative contributions to Penn State made for a historic sophomore season.
On the women’s side, fifth year senior swimmer Margaret Markvardt landed herself on the preseason watch list following an impressive senior season in the Blue and White. Markvardt posted a personal best time of 1:59.08 in the 200 yard IM, finishing 13th in the 2024 Big Ten Championship, sitting 8th in the all-time Penn State record book, beating out her own best time from 2021. After a breakout freshman season in 2021, Markvardt earned the Nittany Lion Award, which is presented to the team member whose perseverance and in practice and effort in competition has led to the greatest overall improvement, and aims to maintain that standard for herself throughout the final season.
The final honoree for the Nittany Lions is sophomore diver Abbey Ekstrom. Ekstrom played a key role for the Blue and White with her consistent success on the diving platform, earning her one Big Ten Diver of the week and Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor throughout her season. The Fullerton, California native boasted immense improvement throughout the season, checking in with a career best score of 281.48 and first place finish in their meet against Saint Bonaventure in the one-meter dive, and a score of 317.33 and first place finish in the three meter dive in their meet against West Virginia.
For more information on the Penn State Nittany Lions Swimming and Diving teams, please visit gopsusports.com. Nittany Lion fans can follow the team on Instagram @PennStateSwimDive, and on X @PennStateSWIM.