Feb. 19, 2010
Finals Results | Preliminary Results | Saturday's Heat Sheets | | | Championship Central
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's swimming & diving team continued its strong performance at the Big Ten Championships on Friday with seven more "NCAA B" times, highlighted by three of the top eight finishers in the 400 IM. Four additional Nittany Lions posted NCAA qualifying times in the preliminaries. Heading into the final day of the championships, the squad stands seventh amongst an impressive Big Ten field.
After finishing eighth in the 400 medley relay with an "NCAA B" time of 3:42.86, the Nittany Lions had their strongest showing in the 400 IM, with senior Kailey Morris (Baltimore, Md.), freshman Amy Modglin (Fort Myers, Fla.) and senior Daphne Skelos (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) finishing fifth (4:13.92), seventh (4:15.61) and eighth (4:16.14), respectively. All were NCAA qualifying times while Modglin's final mark stands sixth in Penn State history. Morris and Skelos would have both cracked the list if not for even better individual times last season.
Other top events were the 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke and 100 backstroke. Senior Stephanie Roop (Downingtown, Pa.) led the way in the 200 freestyle with a B time of 1:48.63 which is also good for 10th in school history. After recording "NCAA B" times in the preliminaries, senior Lindsey DeForrest (Wycombe, Pa.) and sophomore Erin Thomas (Bangor, Maine) came in 15th and 21st with marks of 1:49.33 and 1:49.28.
Senior Lyndsey Smith (Westminster, Md.) reached the A Finals of the 100 breaststroke where she placed eighth (1:02.48, NCAA B). Freshman Merritt Krawczyk (Kingwood, Texas) was ninth with a B time of her own (1:01.53), good for fifth in Penn State history.
The Nittany Lions didn't post any NCAA qualifying times in the 100 backstroke, but freshman Paige Whitmire (Lederach, Pa.) and senior Michelle Myers (Boalsburg, Pa.) did so in the preliminaries. Whitmire went on to finish 16th (55.77) while sophomore Samantha Palser (Chester Springs, Pa.) placed 20th (56.45) and Myers was 21st (56.50). Whitmire's finals time is good for ninth best in program history while her preliminary mark (55.13) is sixth.
For the complete preliminary results, please click here.
Junior Ilana Zeises (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) paced the Lions led in the three-meter diving preliminaries with a 28th place finish (214.45).
Action concludes on Saturday with the 1,650 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, platform diving and the 400 freestyle relay. Click here for the complete heat sheets.
Check back to GoPSUsports.com following the conclusion of each day for complete coverage of the Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Championships.
Complete Finals Results
400 Medley Relay
8. Whitmire, Smith, Myers, DeForrest - 3:42.86 (NCAA B)
400 IM
5. Kailey Morris - 4:13.92 (NCAA B)
7. Amy Modglin - 4:15.61 (NCAA B)
8. Daphne Skelos - 4:16.14 (NCAA B)
100 Butterfly
19. Alexandra Young - 55.55
21. Lauren Smart - 55.82
200 Freestyle
13. Stephanie Roop - 1:48.68 (NCAA B)
15. Lindsey DeForrest - 1:49.33 - B time in prelims
21. Erin Thomas - 1:49.28 - B time in prelims
100 Breaststroke
8. Lyndsey Smith - 1:02.48 (NCAA B)
9. Merritt Krawczyk - 1:01.53 (NCAA B)
100 Backstroke
16. Paige Whitmire - 55.77 - B time in prelims
20. Samantha Palser - 56.45
21. Michelle Myers - 56.50 - B time in prelims
Team Rankings Through Event 14
1. Indiana - 451
2. Minnesota - 418.5
3. Purdue - 318
4. Michigan - 314.5
5. Ohio State - 283.5
6. Wisconsin - 255.5
7. Penn State - 230
8. Northwestern - 171
9. Iowa - 102
10. Michigan State - 75
11. Illinois - 39