March 6, 2014
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; March 6, 2014 - Penn State is sending four swimmers to Atlanta, Ga. To compete in seven events over Saturday and Sunday in hopes of improving their times for the NCAA Championships later this month in Austin, Texas. The four swimmers who will be competing are John Hauser (Pottstown, Pa.), Andrew Schuehler (Camden, N.J.), Matt Stasiunas (Avondale, Pa.) and Nick Ankosko (East Brunswick, N.J.).
Hauser is set to swim the 50 and 100 freestyle races. The senior holds the second fastest Penn State time in each event with a time of 19.81 in the 50 at the Big Ten Championship last weekend. Hauser's top mark in the 100 free came at the Texas Invite on December 7 of this season, touching the wall in 43.44. Both of the senior's top times have met the NCAA "B" standard qualifying marks.
Schuehler had a breakout performance at the Big Ten Championship, hitting NCAA "B" qualifying standards for the first time all season in the 100 and 200 breaststroke races, which he will compete in this weekend. The freshman holds the top times of the year for the Nittany Lions in both events, posting a time of 53.31 in the 100 and a mark of 1:57.63 in the 200, both coming at the Big Tens.
Stasiunas is another freshman who has come on strong to close out his first season as a member of the Blue and White. Stasiunas will swim the 500 and 1,650 freestyle events at Georgia Tech. The freshman was the third fastest on the team in the 500, posting a time of 4:22.69 at the Big Ten Championships and reaching the NCAA "B" cut. This weekend will mark the first time Stasiunas has competed in the 1,650 in his young collegiate career.
The fourth swimmer to represent Penn State is Ankosko, who will be competing alongside Stasiunas in the 500 freestyle. The junior set the school record last weekend in Ann Arbor with a time of 4:17.65, reaching an NCAA "B" cut.
The Nittany Lion Diving team will compete in the NCAA Diving Zone Qualifying in Blacksburg, Va. from March 10-12. The NCAA Championships will be held in Austin, Texas from March 27-29.