Dec. 3, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; December 2, 2012 -- It was a great way to end their stay at the Georgia Fall Invitational for the Nittany Lions, as they claimed 12 individual NCAA provisional marks and basted their first NCAA B Cut time in a relay event this season. Eleven different Penn State swimmers eclipsed the NCAA provisional qualifying standard, while Gabi Shishkoff (Franklin, Mass.) claimed a pair of B Cut times in the pool at the Gabrielsen Natatorium.
It was a pair of 200 yard swims that produced the most NCAA B Cut marks on the final day of the UGA Fall Invitational. The 200 backstroke provided five such marks, while the 200 butterfly produced a trio of NCAA provisional times. Amy Modglin (Fort Myers, Fla.) earned the mark twice on the afternoon with a time of 1:55.95 in the finals to place sixth overall after swimming a season-best time of 1:54.63 in the prelims. The quartet of Allie Roberts (Emmaus, Pa.), Katie Rowe (Glenville, N.Y.), Jenna Bickel (Slingerlands, N.Y.) and Casey Fazio (Secaucus, N.J.) also set NCAA B Cut times in the 200 back, besting the provision time of 1:59.19 that was set by the NCAA.
Merritt Krawczyk (Kingwood, Texas) swam a pair of season-bests in the 200 fly and claimed her first B Cut time of the season in the event, taking home fifth place in the process. In the finals, the senior touched the wall in 1:58.19, but was just a bit faster in the prelims where she set her season-best time of 1:58.17. Chelsea Weedman (Poway, Calif.) covered the distance in 1:58.44 in the finals to claim the NCAA B Cut mark and set a new season-best.
Shishkoff also set an NCAA B Cut mark in the 200 fly, after setting a career-best in the1650 free to open the meet and claim the NCAA provisional mark in the event, as well. In the 1650 free, the junior finished fourth overall and covered the course in 16:28.40. Later in the program, Shishkoff claimed an 11th place finish in the 200 fly when she touched the wall in 1:58.85. Megan Siverling (Chester Springs, Pa.) also set a new career-best time in the 1650 free and finished fifth overall in a time of 16:28.96 to boast her first NCAA B Cut time of the season.
Freshman Alyson Ackman (Montreal, Quebec) capped her impressive week by helping the 400 free relay claim an NCAA B Cut mark and added another individual effort in the 100 Free. Ackman finished fourth in the finals of the 100 free with a career-best time of 49.06 to claim the B Cut time, after swimming 49.10 in the prelims. Teammate Paige Whitmire (Lederach, Pa.) also had a B Cut showing in the 100 Free, placing eighth in the finals with a time of 50.33. Her NCAA provisional mark came in the prelims, however, when the junior swam a near-career-best 49.33.
Ackman and Whitmire teamed up with Carolyn Fittin (Sea Grit, N.J.) and Kaitlin Jones (Midlothian, Va.) in the 400 free relay to claim the squads first relay provisional mark of the season. The quartet touched the wall in fourth place, clocking a 3:17.83, nearly claiming the squads first automatic qualifying time for the NCAA Championships.
In the team race, it was host Georgia winning the event with 991 points. Cal followed in second with 876 points, followed by Virginia (630 pts), Auburn (539 pts) and Penn State (482 pts). Harvard placed sixth overall with 265 points and Virginia Tech's 134 points placed seventh to round out the scoring.
The Nittany Lions will spend the remainder of the 2012 schedule training before returning to competition on Jan. 5, 2013 with a neutral site swim versus North Carolina in Naples, Fla. The divers will compete at the Tennessee Collegiate Diving Invitational that same weekend, taking to the boards from Jan. 3-5, 2013.
--NITTANY LIONS--