Feb. 18, 2014
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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.; Feb. 18, 2014 - The No. 23 Penn State women's swimming and diving team travels to Minnesota this week for the Big Ten Championships in search of it first Big Ten title in eight years. The four day competition held at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center will begin on Wednesday night and concludes on Saturday evening.
The Nittany Lions will face some of the toughest competition in the country as six other conference teams enter the event as members of the Top 25. The Golden Gophers are the highest ranked squad of the league schools at No. 12 in the nation while Indiana (13), Ohio State (15), Michigan (17), Wisconsin (19) and Purdue (21) are also listed in the current poll.
Penn State enters the competition with top three qualifying marks in three of the relay events, making the team races a major factor for the Lions. PSU's 200 free relay mark of 1:30.72 from the Texas Invitational (12/5) stands as the second fastest time in the conference, falling just short of Michigan's top time of 1:30.40.The Blue and White should also reach the podium in the 400 and 800 free relays. Penn State hit the NCAA B qualifying mark in both events, registering Big Ten-third best times of 3:17.48 and 7:10.86 in the 400 and 800, respectively.
Alyson Ackman (Montreal, Quebec) looks to defend her Big Ten title in the 200 free after setting the school record at last season's championships. The sophomore enters the meet with the fastest qualifying mark at 1:45.26 and has registered three NCAA B qualifying times in the event this season. Ackman will also compete in the 100 and 500 free for the Nittany Lions. She has posted the third best time amongst Big Ten swimmers in the 100 free at 48.74 and has the seventh best qualifying time in the 500 free at 4:44.44.
Gabi Shishkoff (Franklin, Mass.) is another top contender for Penn State. The senior has registered top four times in all three of her events, including the 200 fly, 400 IM and 500 free. Shishkoff clocked in at a Big Ten-fourth best 1:57.43 in the 200 fly, has the third best time in the 500 free at 4:42.51 and leads the field in the 400 IM with a mark of 4:09.00.
The school record holder in the 1650 free, Megan Siverling (Chester Springs, Pa.) is aiming for a top three finish in the event. Siverling holds the fourth best qualifying time heading into the event, a mark of 16:17.25. The junior will also compete in the 200 and 500 free for the Lions.
Sophomore Melissa Rodriguez (Chihuahua, Mexico) will look to make a statement in the breaststroke events. She enters the meet ranked fifth in the 200 breast and 13th in the 100 breast after turning in times of 2:13.10 and 1:02.77, respectively. Rodriguez will also compete in the 200 IM.
Mackenzie Powers (Sycamore, Ill.) is the favorite to win the 100 fly. The senior holds the top time in the event at 52.06. Powers also holds top-10 marks in the 100 and 200 backstrokes with times of 53.49 and 1:56.89, respectively.
Chelsea Weedman (Poway, Calif.) hopes to rake in points for the Blue and White as well. The senior is fourth in the 400 IM standings with a mark of 4:12.63 and has turned in the sixth best performance in the 200 IM at 1:58.93.
The Big Ten festivities are slated to begin with the 200 medley relay finals on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and will come to close on Saturday evening with the 400 freestyle relay finals. Preliminary heats will begin at 11 a.m. on all three days with the finals scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. each night.