Feb. 10, 2013
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The seven Nittany Lions competing at the Ohio State Invitational finished strong Sunday evening, representing the Penn State men's swimming and diving team (5-2, 0-1 Big Ten) well with two victories and six top-five finishes. Earning their first wins of the season, freshman Chase Schell (Tacoma, Wash.) claimed the 200 fly while sophomore Larry Virgilio (Pine Bush, N.Y.) dominated the 50 free.
Schell was the lone Lion to compete in the 200 fly in Columbus, taking home the victory with a new personal best time of 1:50.28. The rookie crushed his previous top time by 6.14 seconds. Also notching a new personal best record, Virgilio took first in the 50 free with a time of 20.77.
Penn State seemingly took over the 50 free, with junior Peter Fittin (Sea Girt, N.J.) following Virgilio in second place with a personal best time of 20.81 seconds and sophomore Emre Acar (Istanbul, Turkey) taking fourth with a season best 21.30. Freshman Alex High (Reading, Pa.) rounded out the A Final with a 10th-place finish and personal best time of 22.00 seconds.
The Lions were led by Acar in the 200 free, finishing second with a season best time of 1:41.81. The sophomore was just .69 seconds from meeting his personal best time. Fellow sophomore Nathan Reed (Berwyn, Pa.) also recorded a season best time, finishing in 1:42.92 for third place. Freshman Matthew Drohan (Kennett Square, Pa.) followed in ninth place with a personal best time of 1:50.02. The rookie went on to make is collegiate debut in the 1,650 free with a sixth-place showing of 16.25.60.
Penn State will begin the hunt for conference bragging rights in two weeks, with the Lions heading to Bloomington, Ind. on Feb. 27-March 2 for the Big Ten Championships. For more information, visit http://www.iuhoosiers.com/sports/m-swim/spec-rel/13-big-ten-swim-championships.html.
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