| VIRGINIA TECH CHALLENGE | |
| Saturday, Oct. 18 - 11 a.m. ET | |
| Christiansburg Aquatic Center | Blacksburg, Va. | |
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Oct. 16, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After season-opening wins at home, the Penn State men's and women's swimming and diving teams will participate in the Virginia Tech Challenge in Blacksburg, Virginia on Oct. 18. The women's squad faces Virginia Tech, James Madison, Old Dominion and Liberty, while the men's team takes on Virginia Tech and Old Dominion. The event will be scored as individual dual meets between the teams.
The Opponents
The Penn State women's swimming and diving team is 2-1 all-time against the Hokies, who will be competing in their first event of the season, while the men's swimming and diving team is 0-3 against Virginia Tech. The last time the two teams met in 2006, the women's team picked up a 243-110 win and the men's team lost, 189.5-163.5.
James Madison, also seeing action for the first time in 2014-15, is 0-2 all-time against Penn State's women's swimming and diving team. The squads haven't faced off since 1982.
The Old Dominion women's team opened the season with a win over UNC-Wilmington, while falling to Richmond on Oct. 11. The men fell to UNC-Wilmington. This will be the first ever meeting between both Penn State swimming and diving programs and the Monarchs.
Liberty is 3-0 on the season, downing Campbell (Sept. 26) and both Oregon State and Seattle (Oct. 10). Penn State has never competed against the Flames.
Last Time Out
The last time the Nittany Lions competed, the women's swimming and diving team won 11 of 16 events in a home dual against Georgia Tech on Oct. 3, marking their 11th-straight season-opening win. Junior Alyson Ackman (Montreal, Quebec), junior Melissa Rodriguez (Chihuahua, Mexico) and senior Megan Siverling (Chester Springs, Pa.) each won multiple events on the evening.
Ackman touched the wall first in the 100-yard backstroke and the 100-yard freestyle, recording times of 56.25 and 50.49, respectively. Rodriguez picked up wins in both the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke events, clocking in at 1:04.39 and 2:19.18, respectively. Siverling came out on top in the 1000 free (10:02.07) and the 500 yard free (4:51.50).
The men's swimming and diving team also picked up a win over the Hornets, defeating Georgia Tech, 160.5-137.5. Nate Savoy (Avondale, Pa.) won three individual events and the Nittany Lions' 200 medley and 400 free relay teams captured first en route to the win.
Savoy, a senior team captain, picked up wins in the 100 back (48.82), 200 back (1:49.70) and 200 IM (1:52.38), and was a member of the Nittany Lions' meet-winning 200 medley relay team (1:29.32). The 400 medley relay team of Bob Bantley (Maple Glen, Pa.), Scott Heil (New Brunswick, N.J.), Matt Stasiunas (Avondale, Pa.) and Shane Ryan (Havertown, Pa.) also captured the meet title. David Gross (Perryville, Md.) and Stasiunas each earned the first individual event wins of their careers, with Gross placing first in the 1,000 free (9:21.39) and Stasiunas earning the top spot in the 200 free (1:40.32).
Next Up
Next, Penn State takes travels to Morgantown, West Virginia to take on the Mountaineers on Oct. 23 at 5 p.m.