Nov. 16, 2012
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.; November 16, 2012 -- As a coach, you always want to get off to a fast start in a meet and the Nittany Lions did just that on Friday evening at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center in Bloomington. Penn State competed versus Big Ten foe Indiana along with Virginia to start their third competition of the season.
Merritt Krawczyk (Kingwood, Texas) was the lone individual victor on the opening day of competition as she topped the field in the 200 IM with a season-best time of 1:59.86. The time was an NCAA B cut and topped the field by over one second. After placing third overall in the 100 breast in a team-best 1:02.57, the senior teamed up with Amy Modglin (Ft. Myers, Fla.), Mackenzie Powers (Sycamore, Ill.) and Paige Whitmire (Lederach, Pa.) to close out the evening with a win in the 400 medley relay. It was the first time this season that PSU had swam the event and the quartet posted a time of 3:39.82.
Modglin and Whitmire each grabbed runner-up finishes on the evening and the Nittany Lions posted 12 total top-five finishes versus the Cavaliers and Hoosiers. Modglin placed second in the 200 back, improving her team-best and NCAA B cut time, touching the wall in 1:55.68, under one-half second behind Virginia's Courtney Bartholomew. The senior finished third in the 200 IM, as well. Whitmire claimed a runner-up showing in the 100 free in a time of 50.23 and was also a part of the 200 free relay team that began the meet with a second place showing in the event.
Whitmire, Carolyn Fittin (Sea Grit, N.J.), Alyson Ackman (Montreal, Quebec) and Katelyn Miller (Hershey, Pa.) boasted a season-best time of 1:32.40. Whitmire swam the opening 50-meters in 22.79 to post the squads best time of the year at the distance.
Gabi Shishkoff (Franklin, Mass.) continued her solid start to the season by grabbing a pair of top five finishes in two different strokes. The junior placed third in the 500 free with a career-best time of 4:47.49, which is an NCAA B cut time, before placing fourth in the 200 fly with a time of 2:00.74.
Ackman posted two solid individual efforts on the evening, as well, placing sixth in the 500 free and fifth in the 100 free, swimming 4:50.78 and 51.21, respectively. Both times are personal bests for the freshman.
The team competition currently shows the Nittany Lions ahead of Indiana, 105-62, but behind Virginia, 101-65.
Penn State will conclude their stay in Bloomington, Ind. on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. The Nittany Lions will again compete with Indiana and Virginia.
Individual Event Winners
200 IM; Merritt Krawczyk, 1:59.86
400 Medley Relay; 3:39.82 (A. Modglin, M. Krawczyk, M. Powers, P. Whitmire)
--NITTANY LIONS--