May 15, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
The 2013-14 campaign was one for the books for the Penn State swimming and diving programs. First-year head coach Tim Murphy led both the men's and women's programs to top 20 finishes at the 2014 NCAA Championships and top five finishes at the Big Ten Championships, marking one of the most successful seasons in school history for either program.
A total of 20 Penn State program records were broken throughout the season, including nine for the men's team and 11 for the women's squad. PSU sent 19 swimmers to the 2014 NCAA Championships, where the Nittany Lion men placed 17th and the women finished 18th. Of the seven men and 12 women who competed at the national meet, 12 received CSCAA (College Swimming Coaches Association of America) honorable mention All-America recognition while sophomores Shane Ryan (Havertown, Pa.) and Alyson Ackman (Montreal, Quebec) claimed first team All-America accolades for their efforts. With Ryan and Ackman both earning first team laurels, PSU has now had at least one member from each squad on the first team on three occasions (2002, 1994).
The men's 17th place finish at the NCAA's counts as the fifth best in program history while the squad's total of 72.5 points is the second most by any Nittany Lion team. With their 42-point, 18th place performance, the women's team turned in the fifth most points and fourth highest finish in school history.
The Blue and White also saw great success at the conference level, placing fifth on the men's side and third on the women's side at the Big Ten Championships. Ryan paced the men's team, claiming gold in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke to earn the title of Swimmer of the Big Ten Championships. Ackman and senior Mackenzie Powers (Sycamore, Ill.) led the charge for the women with each taking home gold in one individual event and combining for five podium appearances.
The Nittany Lions excelled in the classroom as well, with 13 men and 16 women garnering Academic All-Big Ten honors. Senior Gabi Shishkoff (Franklin, Mass.) carried a pristine 4.00 GPA during the fall.
The Lions presented their end-of-season team awards at the annual team banquet in April, giving recognition to several student-athletes for their dedication to Penn State, the swimming and diving program and for setting a good example in the community and classroom.
The first award of the night was the Nittany Lion Award, presented to the team member who has shown the most improvement throughout the year. Matt Stasiunas (Avondale, Pa.) was the recipient for the men after consistently bettering his time in the 200, 500 and 1,000 freestyle throughout the season. Katie Rowe (Glenville, N.Y.) earned the award for the women's team after turning in team-best times in the 200 butterfly and 200 backstroke. The sophomore registered NCAA "B" Cut marks in four different events and made her first appearance at the NCAA Championships, competing in the 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly and 200 IM.
Ryan and Ackman claimed the L.D. MacNeill and Elizabeth McCoy Most Outstanding Swimmer awards, an honor voted on by teammates and given to the swimmer or swimmers who consistently record outstanding performances for the program. Ryan is the holder of three Penn State records after a breakout season after notching times of 19.36 in the 50 freestyle, 42.08 in the 100 freestyle and 44.78 in the 100 backstroke. The sophomore became PSU's first recipient of the Swimmer of the Big Ten Championships honor after earning two Big Ten titles. He also registered the second-highest finish of any Nittany Lion in program history at the NCAA Championships, placing second in 100 backstroke with a mark of school record time of 44.78. Ackman broke two school records on the season, topping the charts in the 100 freestyle (48.01) and the 200 freestyle (1:43.59). The sophomore was the first women's swimmer to receive first team All-America honors since 2008 after placing fifth in the 200 freestyle at the NCAA Championships.
While Ryan and Ackman stood out for their performances in the pool, Megan Springsteen (Owego, N.Y.) and T.J. Schenkel (Richboro, Pa.) were recognized as the team's top divers of the 2013-14 season, as the two were presented the Robert E. Galbraith Award. Springsteen finished her senior season on a high note, winning the one-meter diving event in her final home meet in her Nittany Lion career against St. Bonvaventure and Towson. Schenkel recorded team and career bests in both the one-meter and three-meter events this season, while racking up six victories, three in each event. The junior's standout performance came at Navy in late January, as Schenkel scored a personal best 331.13 to win the one-meter event and also claimed a win in the three-meter with a career-high score of 355.43.
Shishkoff and Matt Salig (Downington, Pa.) earned the Ellen Perry and Robert Krimmel Academic Achievement Awards for the second consecutive year. The award is presented to the student-athlete that has attained the highest degree of academic achievement with a minimum of two semesters of coursework at Penn State. Shishkoff owns an impressive cumulative GPA of 3.97 in psychology while Salig carries a 3.83 GPA in biomechanical engineering.
The Captain Awards, given to the two female and two male swimmers who were voted as captains prior to the season, were given to Claire Singley (Southlake, Texas) and Chelsea Weedman (Poway, Calif.) on the women's side and Chris Cipolla (South River, N.J.) and James Wilson (Nottingham, Pa.) on the men's team. All four athletes displayed great leadership both in and out of the pool and had a large influence on Penn State's successful season.
The Jerome Weinstein Award, named in honor of a 1936 Penn State graduate and member of the first swimming team, is awarded to a team member that works the hardest and gives all of their efforts no matter the situation. The women's recipient was Casey Francis (East Medow, N.Y.), while Cipolla received the honor on the men's side. Francis competed in the grueling distance events, recording top five times in the 500, 1,000 and 1,650 freestyle events. The freshman hit the NCAA "B" qualifying standard in the 500 and 1,650. Cipolla excelled at the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, posting top-three times on the team in each event, and was the second fastest Nittany Lion in the 400 IM. The senior also reached two NCAA "B" standards during the season in the 200 breaststroke and 400 IM.
The future is bright for the Blue and White, as the team will look to build off the success it achieved in the 2013-14 season. The women return six All-Americans and the men return three All-America honorees to next year's squad.