Jan. 5, 2011
NAPLES, Fla. - Behind four individual victories and a relay title, the Penn State women's swimming team capped off its winter training with an outstanding performance against North Carolina on Tuesday during a non-scoring meet in Naples, Florida.
Entering the meet nearly a month removed from their last competition, the Nittany Lions came out quickly with several strong performances. Amy Modglin continued her outstanding sophomore season with a pair of victories, while Chelsea Weedman and Paige Whitmire also captured individual titles.
Ready and raring to go following the extended layoff, Modglin made quick work of her competitors in the 200-backstroke and 200-individual medley. During the backstroke, she led all entrants with a time of 1:58.56. Later, she cruised to the title in the IM after clocking in at 2:06.26, which just topped Weedman's time of 2:06.35.
The Nittany Lions received another strong performance from Weedman in the 200-butterfly as the freshman phenom captured the top spot. During the event, she posted a time of 2:03.13, which just eclipsed teammate Alexandra Young's pace of 2:03.17.
Buoyed by her efforts in the sprint freestyles, Whitmire also had a successful day in the pool. During the 50-free, she eased into a second-place finish with a time of 23.82. With little break, she jumped right back in to take the 100-yard event with a time of 52.40.
Later in the day, Whitmire teamed up with Sam Palser, Katie Pulos, and Erin Thomas to capture the meet's final event. In the 400-freestyle relay, the foursome paced the field with a time of 3:29.60.
Young also returned to the pool after her strong performance in the 200-butterfly to lead the Penn State contingent in the 100-yard event. During the discipline, she placed third with a time of 57.84.
Leading all Nittany Lions in both distance freestyles, Diana Greco earned a pair of third-place finishes. In the 1000-free, she clocked in at 10:14.41. Later, she finished third in the 500-yard event as well after touching the wall in 5:01.55.
Easing into a pair of third-place showings as well, Merritt Krawczyk led Penn State in both breaststroke events. In the 100-yard discipline, she cruised to a time of 1:06.24 before touching the wall in 2:21.52 during the 200-yard event.
Victorious in the 400-freestyle relay, Palser rounded out her day with four top-three finishes. In addition to her work on the top relay team, she was the runner-up in the 100-backstroke and placed third in the 100-freestyle. Earlier in the meet, she also teamed with Whitmire, Rachel Butler, and Mackenzie Powers to place second in the 200-medley relay.
Earlier in the week, the diving team also wrapped up its winter trip with an excellent performance against Wyoming and Arkansas in Indianapolis, Indiana. Ilana Zeises led the way and earned Big Ten Diver of the Week honors after placing second in the 3-meter board and sixth in the 1-meter event.
Next week, the Nittany Lions will return to the pool when the squad travels to College Park, Maryland for a two-day meet beginning on January 14 at 5 p.m. The squad will battle the host Terrapins as well as intrastate rivals Pittsburgh and Villanova.