Feb. 23, 2015
| PENN STATE @ B1G CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Wed., Feb. 25 | Thurs., Feb. 26 | Fri., Feb. 27 | Sat., Feb. 28 |
| Campus Rec & Wellness Center Natatorium | Iowa City, Iowa |
| MEET LINKS |
TV: ESPN2 -->Swimming and Diving Blog | Top TimesFollow Us: @PennStateSWIM | Facebook | InstagramMeet Central
Live Video | Live Results | Event Sheet | Notes | Championship Central
Schedule of Events |
Wednesday, Feb. 25 - FINALS - 6:30 p.m. |
200 Medley Relay |
800 Freestyle Relay |
Thursday, Feb. 26 - PRELIMS - 11 a.m. |
500 Freestyle |
200 Individual Medley |
50 Freestyle |
1 Meter Diving - Trials (1 p.m.) |
1 Meter Diving - Consolation Finals |
Thursday, Feb. 26 - FINALS - 6:30 p.m. |
500 Freestyle |
200 Individual Medley |
50 Freestyle |
1 Meter Diving |
400 Medley Relay |
Friday, Feb. 27 - PRELIMS - 11 a.m. |
400 Individual Medley |
100 Butterfly |
200 Freestyle |
100 Breaststroke |
100 Backstroke |
3 Meter Diving - Trials (1 p.m.) |
3 Meter Diving - Consolation Finals |
Friday, Feb. 27 - FINALS - 6:30 p.m. |
200 Freestyle Relay |
400 Individual Medley |
100 Butterfly |
200 Freestyle |
100 Breaststroke |
100 Backstroke |
3 Meter Diving |
Saturday, Feb. 28 - PRELIMS - 11 a.m. |
200 Backstroke |
100 Freestyle |
200 Breaststroke |
200 Butterfly |
Platform Diving - Trials (1 p.m.) |
Platform Diving - Consolation Finals |
1,650 Freestyle (Approx. 4:15 p.m.) |
Saturday, Feb. 28 - FINALS - 6:30 p.m. |
1,650 Freestyle |
200 Backstroke |
100 Freestyle |
200 Breaststroke |
200 Butterfly |
Platform Diving |
400 Freestyle Relay |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 24 ranked Penn State men's swimming and diving team will head to the Hawkeye State this week to test their mettle at the Big Ten Championships in Iowa City. The Nittany Lions will be looking to improve upon their fifth place finish (349.5 pts.) from a year ago when the event was hosted in Ann Arbor.
The four day event will kick-off with the 200 medley relay and 800 free relay at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 25. The first preliminary session will be held Thursday afternoon at 12:00 and the Championships will conclude with finals on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES
COVERAGE
Live video of all four finals sessions will be streamed live via BTN Plus on BTN2GO. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday's prelims will be streamed live on Hawkeye All-Access on hawkeyesports.com. BTN will televise the final day of the championships on tape delay at 11:30 a.m., March 1.
THE MEET
Michigan is the four-time defending Big Ten Champions, having also won seven out of the last eight conference crowns dating back to the 2007-08 season. Last season the Wolverines were host to B1G's but this season the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium at Iowa University will house the four-day event. The Lions will square off against a total of six ranked conference opponents at the meet including host Iowa, who is listed as the 21st team in the nation according to the latest CSCAA Coaches Poll. Michigan (No. 6), Ohio State (No. 9), Indiana (No. 15), Minnesota (T-18th) and Wisconsin (No. 23) join the Hawkeyes in the Top 25 with Purdue receiving votes in the Feb. 5th poll.
RANKINGS
Penn State is currently ranked 24th in the latest College Swimming Coaches of America (CSCAA) poll, released Feb. 23. This is the team's first appearance in the Top 25 since Nov. 13 when they were listed as the 18th best program in the nation.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
The Lions have not finished higher than fifth at the Big Ten Championships since the 2001-02 season when they placed third with 442.5 points. That season was the third straight season they took home the Bronze at Big Ten's following a conference championship in 1999. In all PSU has recorded five Top 5 finishes all stretching from 1998-2002 with its lone title coming in the last year of the 20th century. Last season was the first time the Nittany Lions placed in the Top 5 since 2001-02.
ALL B1G RETURNERS
This season Penn State will showcase a pair of All-Big Ten performers from a year ago in junior Shane Ryan (Havertown, Pa.) and senior Nate Savoy (Reading, Pa.). The duo recorded a total of four career best times in Ann Arbor last season with Ryan taking home Swimmer of the Big Ten Championship honors. Ryan set new personal bests in the 50 and 100 free, both of which were fastest times in school history, while Savoy recorded fastest times in the 100 back and 200 IM.
TOP TIMES
Savoy is the fastest PSU swimmer in four total individual events this season. His times in the 50 free, 200 back, 100 fly and 200 IM give him the most top times of any Blue and White swimmer while Ryan, senior Nick Ankosko (East Brunswick, N.J.) and freshman David Gross (Perryville, Md.) each claim a pair of the team's top times in swimming events.
FREESTYLE
The Lions are led by the dynamic duo of Ryan and Savoy in the sprint free events as both hold season best times in the 50 (20.17) and 100 (43.70) free while freshman Matt Stasiunas (Avondale, Pa.) has been the fastest in the 200 free (1:37.57). When it comes to distance events in this category, Ankosko reigns supreme with two season best times in the 500 (4:25.74) and 1,000 (9:21.34) free while Gross has a season best time of 15:33.70 in the 1650.
BACKSTROKE
Ryan and Savoy also are tops when it comes to this event this season with fastest times in the 100 back (Ryan, 46.26), and 200 back (Savoy, 1:42.60).
BUTTERFLY
Savoy claims the team's fastest time in the 100 fly this season (48.78) while fellow senior Kyle Madley (Madison, N.J.) was the best in the 200 fly with his 1:48.21 performance at the Georgia Fall Invite.
BREASTSTROKE
A pair of underclassmen rule the breaststroke events as sophomores Michael Kwasnik (Shelby Twp., Mich.) and Andrew Schuehler compiled season best times in both the 100 and 200. Schuehler was fastest in the 100 breast (55.15) while Kwasnik was best in the 200 breast with his 2:02.19 performance.
INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
A familiar name once again is on top of the leader board for PSU when it comes to fastest times in an event this season. This time Savoy is was the best in the 200 IM (1:47.94) and Gross claims the top slot in the 400 IM with his 3:55.67 time.
RELAY
Penn State has claimed first place finishes in all four main relays events this season, with its most golds coming in both the 400 free and 200 yard medley relays. The team finished first a total of three times in those events and has finished first a pair of times in the 200 free and 200 yard medley relays. Head coach Tim Murphy has seen his team finished first just once this year in the 400 medley relay.
DIVING
Senior T.J. Shenkel (Richboro, Pa.) has earned the highest scores in both the one and three meters this season. Shenkel earned a 322.19 mark in the one meter and a 349.80 in the three. Freshman Travis Wright is the lone Lion to perform in the platform in 2015 and his 188.60 score at the Georgia Fall Invite stands tall.