Jan. 18, 2011
PARK RIDGE, Ill. - Sophomore standout Amy Modglin has been named the Big Ten Women's Swimmer of the Week for the second time this season after piecing together a phenomenal effort during Penn State's meet at the University of Maryland last weekend.
During the competition, Modglin secured three individual victories while helping lead the Nittany Lions to a dominating performance. Guided by her efforts, Penn State cruised to victories over the host Terrapins as well as intrastate rivals Pittsburgh and Villanova.
In two events, she eclipsed the NCAA `B' standard as she cruised past the provisional qualifying time in both the 200-backstroke and 400-individual medley. She also secured the top spot in the 200-freestyle while placing third in the 1,650-free.
In her signature event, Modglin paced the field with another excellent effort in the 200-backstroke. During the event, she captured the title with a time of 1:57.38. She has now eclipsed the NCAA `B' standard in that event during all six meets this season.
She also dominated in the 200-freestyle and 400-IM as she beat the next closest competitor by over a full second in both disciplines. In the freestyle, she took the top spot with a time of 1:50.36, while she won the individual medley after clocking in at 4:19.40.
Her weekend was rounded out by a strong effort in the 1,650-freestyle as well. In her first time competing in the event, she earned a podium finish after placing third with a time of 16:53.81.
After earning Honorable Mention All-American honors last season, Modglin has had a wonderful second season in Happy Valley. While leading the Nittany Lions to a 5-2 record, she has captured 11 victories already in five different events. In addition to her performance in the 200-backstroke, 200-freestyle, and 400-IM, she has also finished first in the 200-IM and 400-medley relay.
The weekly honor is the third of Modglin's career after she was previously named the top performer on October 26, 2010 and January 19, 2010. She is the first Nittany Lion to earn the award twice in one season since Kelly Nelson did it during the 2006-07 campaign.
Modglin and the Nittany Lions will return to the pool this weekend when Penn State hosts St. Bonaventure on Saturday at noon.