Feb. 27, 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Penn State men's swimming team wrapped up its time at the Big Ten Championships, holding steady on Day Four to finish in seventh place. The Nittany Lions were led by Brian Alden (Lansdale, Pa.) in the 100 freestyle, Dan Fimbianti (Mahwah, N.J.) in the 200 back and the 400 freestyle relay.
Alden qualified for the "A" Final with a swim of 43.85 in fourth, and would swim a nearly identical time in the final (43.84), finishing in fourth place overall. He also led off the fifth-place 400 freestyle relay, which finished in a time of 2:56.92. Joining Alden on the team was Basil Kaaki (Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia), Jon Cochrane (Boalsburg, Pa.) and John Austin (Kennett Square, Pa.).
Fimbianti posted the second fastest time in PSU history with his swim in the 200 backstroke. Fimbianti, who finished in seventh (1:45.01) in the final, lowered his personal best to1:44.48 in the preliminaries, garnering No. 2 in the history books.
Other scoring finalists on Saturday were Kaaki (12th, 44.25) in the 100 free, Mitch Scherer (Pottstown, Pa., 14th, 2:00.79) in the 200 breaststroke and Luke Bushman (Green Bay, Wis., 14th, 1:48.22) in the 200 butterfly.
In all, Penn State had nine NCAA "B" times posted by its swimmers on Saturday. The Nittany Lions will be able to field a full slate of swimmers across the board in the upcoming NCAA Championships in March. In the meantime, PSU will ready for the Last Chance Meet next week.
Key
q = Qualified for finals
B = NCAA "B" Standard
( ) = Points Scored
* -- School Record
100 Freestyle "A" Final
4. Brian Alden 43.84 (15) B
100 Freestyle "B" Final
12. Basil Kaaki 44.25 (5) B
200 Backstroke "A" Final
7. Dan Fimbianti 1:45.01 (12) B
200 Backstroke "C" Final
20. Jeff Gomez 1:47.81
200 Breaststroke "B" Final
14. Mitch Scherer 2:00.79 (3)
200 Breaststroke "C" Final
23. Scott Marino 2:03.64
200 Butterfly "B" Final
14. Luke Bushman 1:48.22 (3)
200 Butterfly "C" Final
20. Matt Cox 1:51.02
1,650 Freestyle Finals
19. Ben Ryan 15:32.15 B
24. Josh Wakeley 15:36.28
30. Jack Zierenberg 15:46.83
31. Colin Quirk 15:47.01
37. Max Ettore 16:02.24
400 Freestyle Relay
5. Alden (43.86), Kaaki, Cochrane, Austin 2:56.92 (28) B
100 Freestyle Prelims
4. Brian Alden 43.85 qB
14. Basil Kaaki 44.24 qB
30. John Austin 45.31
41. Ted Walker 45.72
56. Jamie Grennan 46.38
61. Mike Kaiserian 46.81
200 Backstroke Prelims
7. Dan Fimbianti 1:44.48 qB (2nd Fastest time at PSU)
23. Jeff Gomez 1:47.75 q
25. Jon Cochrane 1:49.16
29. Ben Hengels 1:50.00
30. Wade Satanik 1:50.05
200 Breaststroke Prelims
14. Mitch Scherer 2:00.61 q
18. Scott Marino 2:01.29 q
31. Brent Sanderson 2:05.34
36. James Capparell 2:08.31
200 Butterfly Prelims
13. Luke Bushman 1:47.80 qB
21. Matt Cox 1:50.89 q
28. Josh Wakeley 1:51.90
33. Greg Daniele 1:52.96
34. Jack Zierenberg 1:53.16
STANDINGS
1. Ohio State 860.5
2. Michigan 715.5
3. Minnesota 494
4. Purdue 421
5. Indiana 282
6. Iowa 223
7. Penn State 219
8. Wisconsin 217
9. Michigan St. 205
10. Northwestern 169
--NITTANY LIONS--