Nov. 19, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's swimming & diving team finished up a two-day tri-meet with Big Ten rival Indiana and regional rival Virginia on Saturday at McCoy Natatorium. The Nittany Lions fell to both the Cavaliers (186-167) and Hoosiers (226-127). The meet was highlighted by Saturday's pool-record 200 medley relay by Penn State (2-3).
The all-Pennsylvania relay of Nate Savoy (Reading, Pa.), Mitch Scherer (Pottstown, Pa.), Sean Grier (Hummelstown, Pa.) and Brian Alden (Lansdale, Pa.) narrowly beat Indiana with a time of 1:29.08. The previous 200 medley relay record at McCoy Natatorium was 11 years old (1:30.48). The Hoosier squad was also under that time finishing in 1:29.69.
The Nittany Lions ended Saturday in the same fashion as they opened it: with a relay win. Penn State's Andrew Sideras (Philadelphia, Pa.), Alden, Shane Austin (Kennett Square, Pa.) and Matt Salig (Downingtown, Pa.) sped the 400 freestyle relay to victory in 3:03.23, edging Virginia by .16 and Indiana by .20. Salig held off a late charge by both the `Hoos and Hoosiers in the win.
Penn State's winning success wasn't contained to Saturday's opening event, however, as Alden opened the Nittany Lion victories on Friday night with a top-place showing in the 100 freestyle. Alden clocked in at 45.83, besting Virginia's Peter Geissinger by .23. That would be PSU's only victory on Friday, but the 400 medley relay swam a strong event to cap the evening's swimming with a second-place showing in 3:18.23 with the same crew that would swim a school record in the 200 relay the following morning.
PSU opened Friday with a second-place 200 free relay led by Shane Austin (Kennett Square, Pa.), Alden, Grier and Andrew Sideras (Philadelphia, Pa.). The quartet swam 1:23.26 to nudge Virginia by .38, while Indiana won the event in a time of 1:22.76.
The Nittany Lions' other victory came courtesy of Grier in the 100 butterfly on Saturday afternoon. The sophomore swam 48.82, besting the field by .68 and sporting a season and team best.
Other top showings throughout the two-day meet was Savoy's third-place 200 IM swim of 1:51.69, beating all Virginia swimmers and Scherer's second-place 100 breast swim of 56.06. Savoy returned to the pool one event later and swam 1:48.52 in the 200 backstroke behind two Hoosier swimmers, while Matt Salig (Downingtown, Pa.) finished second in the 200 fly posting a time of 1:49.86.
On Saturday, Savoy's second-place time of 49.47 paces PSU in the 100 backstroke before touching the wall as PSU's top entrant in the 400 IM (fourth, 3:59.62).
Penn State returns to action after Thanksgiving at the three-day Ohio State Invitational in Columbus, Ohio.
--NITTANY LIONS--