Feb. 25, 2015
By Meghan Miceli, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lions have arrived at the Big Ten Championships and are ready for a busy few days. This week marks the culmination of grueling practices, a tough dual meet schedule and a year's worth of hard work.
But for the men's swimming and diving team, the past few weeks have been about more than training, they have been about preparation.
"Race strategy, we've been trying to clean up the little things - tempo, turns - and staying relaxed," said head coach Tim Murphy.
Last year the Nittany Lions placed fifth, close behind Minnesota and just ahead of Purdue and Wisconsin.
This year boasts tougher competition, with seven out of the 10 teams ranked the top 25 in the nation, three of which are in the top 10.
Defending champion, Michigan, is ranked fifth, followed by Ohio State and Indiana in eighth and ninth, respectively. Wisconsin and Minnesota are currently polled at 19th and 22nd, and not far behind is Penn State at 24th.
"The Big Ten is a heavy hitting conference," said senior Larry Virgilio. "But the boys look good, feel good, and we're excited."
Although competition begins in earnest on Thursday for the men's team, the Nittany Lions had their first dose of championship season last week, with the Big Ten Women's Championships. The women placed seventh overall and broke four records.
For the men, seeing the teammates they train with everyday going best times is a great motivator.
"We are excited and ready to get this championship going," said senior Nate Savoy. "The competition is going to be great and the team is ready to see what we can do."
One of the key factors for the Nittany Lions this week is going to be staying relaxed under pressure, which is something they worked on leading up to the meet.
"We've done a good job pacing ourselves and not getting ahead of ourselves," explained Murphy.
For many swimmers, the Big Ten Championship is a final opportunity to qualify for the NCAA championship meet in March.
As the most elite in college swimming, NCAA's showcases the fastest collegiate swimmers across the country in one setting. Although the number invited per event changes each year, usually around the top 30 fastest times in each event are able to participate.
Last year, the Nittany Lions sent seven members of the men's team to the NCAA's and finished 17th, recording the most points at the meet for Penn State in over a decade.
While the Nittany Lions look to add to that number this year, the main focus for the time being is fast swimming in Iowa City and showcasing their year's worth of tough training.
"The work is done," said Murphy, "It's time to just pin our ears back and seeing what we've got,"