Feb. 1, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's swimming and diving team seniors were sent off in grand fashion in their final home meet of their Nittany Lion career at McCoy Natatorium, as the 400 freestyle relay team of John Hauser (Pottstown, Pa.), Shane Austin (Kennett Square, Pa.), Nate Savoy (Reading, Pa.) and Shane Ryan (Havertown, Pa.) broke the pool record with a time of 2:57.40. The previous record was 2:59.79.
Penn State won both of the head-to-head duals on Saturday, taking down Towson by a score of 183-114 and St. Bonaventure by a final of 200-95. The two victories give the Blue and White a final dual meet record of 7-1 on the season.
The Nittany Lions got off to a great start on Saturday, claiming first and second place in the opening 200 medley relay. The team of Savoy, James Wilson (Nottingham, Pa.), Ryan and Austin touched the wall in 1:28.69 to secure the victory.
The Blue and White continued its early dominance in the individual events. Freshman Matt Stasiunas (Avondale, Pa.) won his first race of his Nittany Lion career, turning in a time of 9:30.62 in the 1,000 freestyle, finishing nearly six second faster than the second place finisher. Nick Ankosko (East Brunswick, N.J.) quickly followed up the freshman's win with a victory in the 200 freestyle by turning in a time of 1:40.28. Penn State's Bob Bantley (Maple Glen, Pa.) and Matt Salig (Downington, Pa.) finished second and third, respectively, in the event.
Ryan, the sophomore standout, continued his recent run of success by winning the 100 backstroke, posting a time of 47.87 to win by over two seconds in the race. The time qualifies as an NCAA "B" standard.
Freshman Andrew Schuehler (Camden, N.J.) extended the Nittany Lions' winning streak to five-straight events to open the meet when the swimmer touched the wall first in the 100 breaststroke in 55.89. The victory is Schuehler's second of the season in individual competition.
The Blue and White were unable to continue its run of first place finishes, as Towson's Matt McKenney claimed the best time in the 200 butterfly but it did not take long for Penn State to get back to the top of the podium. Hauser impressed in the 50 freestyle competition, recording a time of 20.18 for the first place finish. With the win, Hauser was victorious in the 50 freestyle in both home meets this season.
After the 15 minute intermission the Nittany Lions picked up right where they left off, by finishing first and second in the 100 freestyle. Savoy was the first to touch the wall with a time of 44.56 and Scott Heil (New Brunswick, N.J.) came in at 45.64. Ryan followed up the win by completing his personal sweep of the backstroke events, finishing first in the 200 with a time of 1:49.29.
Ankosko picked up his second victory of the afternoon in the 500 freestyle race. The junior was the only competitor to turn in a time under 4:30, coming in at 4:28.81. Hauser earned a second place finish with, posting a mark of 4:32.13. Austin then posted a win in his final meet at McCoy Natatorium by edging out the field in the 100 butterfly with a time of 50.47.
In the diving portion of the afternoon, Penn State's duo of T.J. Schenkel (Richboro, Pa.) and Lucas Kachurick (McKeesport, Pa.) owned the rest of the field. The tandem placed first and second in the one and three meter events. Schenkel finished atop the podium in both competitions with a score of 330.55 in the three meter and a mark of 299.55 in the one meter. Kachurick's solid afternoon consisted of scores of 307.40 in the three meter and 268.25 in the one meter dives.
Saturday concludes the dual meet portion of the schedule, as both the men's and women's squads begin gearing up for the Big Ten and NCAA Championships. The Blue and White will have a week to prepare for the Ohio State invite on February 8 and 9 in Columbus, Ohio.