Jan. 22, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's swimming & diving team dominated from beginning to end as the Nittany Lions cruised to a decisive 156-73 victory over St. Bonaventure during a non-conference dual meet at the McCoy Natatorium on Saturday afternoon.
With the victory, Penn State moves to 6-2 on the season, including 4-0 in 2011. In meets with St. Bonaventure, the Lions have been even more impressive as the squad now stands 14-0 all-time against the Bonnies.
Right from the start, Penn State took control as the team swept the top-three spots in the 200-medley relay. The foursome of Becky Yokosh, Merritt Krawczyk, Chelsea Howard, and Sam Palser led the way with a time of 1:43.98. The Lions' second unit, anchored by Lauren Smart, Rachel Butler, Alexandra Young, and Paige Whitmire, was right behind after touching the wall in 1:45.10.
That effort set the tone for the meet as the Nittany Lions continued to stand alone on the podium. In the 1000-freestyle, Alexa Hetzel, known for her strong performances in the breaststroke, converted perfectly to the distance event as she won with a time of 10:29.17. Teammates Erika Rodman and Emily Wolfarth rounded out the top performers in the discipline.
In the 200-freestyle, Katie Pulos posted one of her top times of the season after capturing the victory in 1:51.61. Alexandra Young was just a second behind, while Rose Snyder placed third. One event later, Erin Thomas paced the field in the 50-free after clocking in at 24.00, while Monika Mialka and Heather Brady also finished in the top-three.
In the 200-individual medley, Diana Greco recorded her second victory in as many weeks. After winning the 1,650-freestyle at Maryland, she showed her versatility by winning the IM in 2:07.48. Lauren Smart and Mackenzie Powers also looked strong in the event as they finished second and third, respectively.
Not to be outdone, the divers looked just as dominant as Penn State excelled in the 1-meter board. Megan Marco recorded the team's top score of the season with a mark of 272.33. Katie O'Connell placed second at 237.53, while Ilana Zeises posted a personal-best this year with a score of 236.25.
After a break in action, the swimmers went right back to work. Chelsea Weedman paced the field with a time of 55.44 in the 100-butterfly, marking the third different event she's won during her outstanding freshman campaign. Merritt Krawczyk and Paige Whitmire followed close behind to give Penn State its seventh consecutive sweep.
During her first time competing in the 100-freestyle this season, Amy Modglin pieced together an outstanding performance as she took the top spot with a time of 52.26. Later, Sam Palser eased into her second victory of the day with a time of 57.88 in the 100-backstroke. One event later, Penn State rounded out its exceptional showing with one last sweep in the 500-freestyle. Monika Mialka won the event after clocking in at 5:05.61, while Hailey Campbell and Leah Davis finished close behind.
With the victory in-hand, Penn State switched to exhibition scoring over the final three events but continued to post outstanding performances. Following her title in the 1-meter dive, Marco recorded the top score in the 3-meter event with a mark of 260.85, which was her finest showing of the season.
Shortly thereafter, Weedman wrapped up the individual events with the top time in the 100-breaststroke after hitting the wall in 1:04.28. The team of Hailey Campbell, Lauren Barnes, Kristen Rodman, and Sam Palser concluded the meet one event later after pacing the field in the 200-freestyle relay with a time of 1:36.25.
Penn State will return to action next week when the squad heads out to Ann Arbor for a meet with Michigan on Saturday at 11 a.m.