Dec. 6, 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Penn State men's swimming team concluded its time at the OSU Invitational, finishing fifth in the six-team competition. The Nittany Lions completed the three-day event with 343 points overall.
Highlighting the third day's action for Penn State were Basil Kaaki (Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia) and Brian Alden (Lansdale, Pa.), who once again were the leading swimmers for the third-straight day. Kaaki and Alden both qualified for the 100 Freestyle A Final, with Kaaki finishing fourth/45.04 and Alden sixth/45.27. The duo qualified third and fourth, respectively out of the prelims.
The pair was then teamed with Jon Cochrane (Boalsburg, Pa.) and Ted Walker (Philadelphia, Pa.) in the 400 Freestyle Relay, completing the event in fifth place in a time of 3:02.64. Alden split a 44.77 as the second leg and Kaaki opened the proceedings with a 45.33.
The only other A Finalist on Sunday was Dan Fimbianti (Mahwah, N.J.) in the 200 backstroke. The senior backstroke specialist finished seventh in a time of 1:49.60. Two other Lions notched points in the event as Cochrane and freshman Luke Bushman (Green Bay, Wis.) touched the wall in 11th and 15th place, respectively in the B Final. Matt Cox (Radnor, Pa.) won the C Final in a time of 1:54.57.
In the opening event of the finals on the third day, Ben Ryan (State College, Pa.) and Josh Wakeley (Egg Harbor, N.J.) swam to 11th and 12th respectively in the 1,650 Freestyle event. Ryan finished in a time of 16:00.50, while Wakeley completed the mile in a time of 16:02.40.
Ohio State won the event with a score of 1,346. Fellow Big Ten rival Minnesota was second in 784, followed by West Virginia (447) and Notre Dame (414) in third and fourth, respectively. The Nittany Lions scored 343 and were followed by Pittsbugh with 129 points.
The Penn State swimmers will be out of action during finals and the holiday break before returning to the pool on Jan. 7, 2010 when the Lions take on Florida State in Naples, Fla. The diving contingent will participate in the Georgia Bulldog Shoot-Out on Jan. 3-4, 2010.
Day 3 Finals
100 Freestyle (A Final)
4. Basil Kaaki 45.04
6. Brian Alden 45.27
200 Backstroke (A Final)
7. Dan Fimbianti 1:49.60
200 Backstroke (B Final)
11. Jon Cochrane 1:51.00
15. Luke Bushman 1:53.04
200 Backstroke (C Final)
17. Jeff Gomez 1:51.10
200 Breaststroke (B Final) 19. Scott Marino 2:08.97
200 Butterfly (B Final)
15. Luke Bushman 1:57.13
200 Butterfly (C Final)
24. Matt Cox 1:54.57
1,650 Freestyle
11. Ben Ryan 16:00.50
12. Josh Wakeley 16:02.40
18. Jack Zierenberg 16:09.36
21. Max Ettore 16:28.66
22. James Capparell 16:33.62
400 Freestyle Relay
5. Kaaki, Alden, Cochrane, Walker 3:02.64
13. Grennan, Austin, Risley, Fimbianti 3:08.41
Day 3 Preliminaries
100 Freestyle
3. Basil Kaaki 45.07 q
4. Brian Alden 45.12 q
27. Ted Walker 46.63
32. John Austin 47.02
33. Jon Cochrane 47.03
39. Jamie Grennan 47.25
T43. Graham Risley 47.49
T43. Greg Daniele 47.49
49. Mike Kaiserian 48.65
55. Ben Hengels 49.27
200 Backstroke
6. Dan Fimbianti 1:49.05 q
13. Luke Bushman 1:51.12 q
15. Jon Cochrane 1:51.54 q
23. Jeff Gomez 1:53.25 q
27. Wade Satanik 1:55.30
32. James Capparell 1:57.69
200 Breaststroke
12. Mitch Scherer 2:06.23 q
17. Scott Marino 2:08.13 q
25. Brent Sanderson 2:12.61
200 Butterfly
13. Luke Bushman 1:51.54 q
21. Matt Cox 1:53.54 q
26. Josh Wakeley 1:55.32
33. Jack Zierenberg 1:56.17
35. Ben Ryan 1:57.01
39. Max Ettore 1:58.54
43. Greg Daniele 2:00.60
Team Standings
1. Ohio State 1346
2. Minnesota 784
3. West Virginia 447
4. Notre Dame 414
5. Penn State 343
6. Pittsburgh 129
--NITTANY LIONS--