Feb. 1, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's swimming and diving team sent its seniors off on a high note in the final home meet of the season, claiming victories against both Towson and St. Bonaventure on Saturday at McCoy Natatorium. The Nittany Lions posted top marks in 12-of-16 events on the day, including both relays and each diving event.
The Nittany Lions edged Towson by a count of 166-133 and overpowered St. Bonaventure in a 232-64 decision to put Penn State's dual meet record at 5-2 at the end of the head-to-head portion of the season.
The team of Mackenzie Powers (Sycamore, Ill.), Haley Sinatro (West Hartford, Conn.), Katie Saloky (Bloomsburg, Pa.) and Carolyn Fittin (Sea Girt, N.J.) set the pace for the Blue and White, kicking off the meet with a victory in the 200 medley relay in 1:43.01. Fittin closed the meet in similar fashion, registering the top mark in the 400 free relay with Alyson Ackman (Montreal, Quebec), Kaitlin Jones (Midlothian, Va.) and Katelyn Miller(Hershey, Pa.) with a time of 3:25.53.
Fittin, Powers and Ackman also performed well in the individual events, combining for five first place finishes. Fittin claimed the top time in the 50 free, touching the wall first in 23.49, while Powers and Ackman posted two wins apiece. Powers, one-of-seven seniors honored in Saturday's event, clocked in at 54.84 to win the 100 backstroke and turned in the fastest mark in the 100 butterfly in 54.72. Ackman, a sophomore standout for the Lions, topped the field in the 100 free in 49.74 and also notched a victory in the 500 free with a time of 4:50.07.
Gabi Shishkoff(Franklin, Mass.) recorded a memorable performance in the 200 breaststroke in her final meet at McCoy Natatorium. The senior registered a personal-best time of 2:18.91 to win the event, clipping nearly two seconds off her previous best time of 2:20.07 from two weeks ago.
Melissa Rodriguez (Chihuahua, Mexico) and Katie Rowe(Glenville, N.Y.) also earned victories for the Nittany Lions. Rodriguez swam her way to a first place finish in the 100 breaststroke in 1:02.87 while Rowe clocked in at 2:01.45 to claim first in the 200 butterfly.
Senior Megan Springsteen (Oswego, N.Y.) and freshman Mackenzie Cornell(Germantown, Md.) posted a clean sweep of the diving events for the Blue and White. Springsteen notched a season-best effort on the one-meter board, finishing with a high score of 253.65, and placed second on the three-meter with a mark of 256.85. Cornell helped complete the sweep for the divers, placing first on the three-meter with a score of 276.00 and turning in a mark of 240.70 on the one-meter for a second place finish.
The Nittany Lions return to the pool next weekend, traveling to Columbus, Ohio to compete in the Ohio State Invite. The two-day meet will begin on Saturday morning and concludes on Sunday.