Aug. 9, 2010
Complete Results | USA Swimming Website
IRVINE, Calif. - Rising sophomore sensation Amy Modglin (Fort Myers, Fla.) capped off an impressive performance at the 2010 ConocoPhillips National Championships by swimming to a seventh-place finish in the 200 meter backstroke over the weekend. In total, seven Nittany Lions participated in the championships which ran from Aug. 3 until the seventh.
"It was an honor to be in the A finals alongside so many great athletes," said Modglin. "It was my first experience ever being in the A finals at nationals."
Along with Modglin, teammates Merritt Krawczyk (Kingwood, Texas), Samantha Palser (Chester Springs, Pa.) and Paige Whitmire (Lederach, Pa.) competed in the championships while Brian Alden (Lansdale, Pa.), Luke Bushman (Green Bay, Wis.), Scott Marino (Scotch Plains, N.J.) and Josh Wakeley (Egg Harbor, N.J.) all participated from the men's side.
"It was awesome," said Modglin when asked about the experience. "I had fun traveling with the team to California. As a team, we did really well."
After finishing seventh in preliminaries with a time of 2:12.59, she finished in the identical spot in the final, this time coming in at 2:14.01. The finish came out of more than 130 competitors in the 200 backstroke.
"[This experience] will help build confidence going into the fall," said Modglin. "I know everyone on the team is excited for the season."
In addition, Whitmire did make the C finals of the 100 meter backstroke, finishing 21st overall with a time of 1:03.07 after improving upon her preliminary time of 1:03.41. Modglin also participated in that event along with both the 200 and 400 IM.
Modglin is coming off an exceptional freshman season, highlighted by an honorable mention All-America performance in the 200 backstroke. She finished the season with over 20 "NCAA B" times, including multiple facility and school records. She broke the Trees Pool record (Pittsburgh) in the 200 backstroke this January, being recognized with both Big Ten and National Collegiate Swimmer of the Week laurels.
"I'm happy I stayed at Penn State during the summer to train," said Modglin. "The hard work paid off. I'm hoping it will translate into the fall and I'll be able to help the team as much as I can."
Check back to GoPSUsports.com throughout the summer as the Nittany Lions prepare for the 2010-11 season.