March 22, 2013
Friday Finals Results (HTML) | Friday Prelim Results (HTML)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.-- The busiest day of the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships wrapped up on Friday (March 22) inside the IU Natatorium and IUPUI Sports Complex and the No. 24 Penn State women's swimming and diving team brought home All-American honors in the 200 medley relay for the second straight season.
The team of Mackenzie Powers (Sycamore, Ill.), Merritt Krawczyk (Kingwood, Texas), Carolyn Fittin (Sea Grit, N.J.), Paige Whitmire (Lederach, Pa.) qualified for the B Finals with a prelim showing of 1:38.16 and followed that up with a 1:38.05 in finals to finish 12th overall and earn honorable mention All-America status. The time in the finals was the second fastest time on the squad this season, while the prelim mark was the third fastest.
The prelims of the other events featured some solid showings from the Nittany Lions, as well. In the 400 IM , junior Gabi Shishkoff (Franklin, Mass.) finished 18th overall in a time of 4:10.78 to clock the team's second fastest time of the year. Chelsea Weedman (Poway, Calif.) also compete in the event and notched a 31st place showing when she touched in 4:13.89 and Amy Modglin finished 37th in 4:16.15.
Powers swam the 100 butterfly for the second straight year and followed up her 20th place finish at last year's championship with a 21st place showing in 2013. The junior posted the team's second fastest time of the season with a 52.94 showing. In the 100 breaststroke, Krawczyk touched in 24th place and swam the team's fastest time in the event when she clocked a 1:00.54, while Melissa Rodriguez (Chihuahua, Mexico) finished 32nd in 1:01.04 for the second fastest time on the squad in 2013.
The 800 freestyle relay team of Alyson Ackman (Montreal, Quebec), Kaitlin Jones (Midlothian, Va.), Caitlyn Karr (Reading, Pa.) and Shishkoff capped the second day of the championships with a 20th place finish. The quartet finished in a time of 7:10.96, just one-second behind Florida State who grabbed 16th and the final All-American honors in the event.
The final day of the championships will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 23 with prelims of the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly and 400 freestyle relay, along with the finals of the 1,650 freestyle. The finals of the aforementioned prelims will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday.
--NITTANY LIONS--