Oct. 18, 2015
By Michele Jaroszewski, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" It was a tough competition against Virginia Tech Friday at McCoy Natatorium as the men's and women's swimming and diving teams battled in Penn State's home opener.
Behind a superb effort from senior Melissa Rodriguez, the Nittany Lion women's team cruised past the Hokies by a score of 183-114.
Rodriguez had a pair of great performances, touching first in both of her individual competitions. She beat the Hokies with a 1:02.75 in the 100-yard breaststroke and tallied a 2:13.81 in the 200 yard breaststroke. Teammates Haley Sinatro (1:04.32) and Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo (2:18.60) were behind her, placing third in the respective events.
"I didn't expect that at all," Rodriguez said. "I've been injured for the past few weeks, coming back, I wasn't sure what was going to happen."
Rodriguez was excited to be able to pull a big win for the Nittany Lions. This was her best in-season time so far.
"The win was important, I like the way we swam," said head coach Tim Murphy. "The women swam tough. We made some progress in that area. "
Energy filled McCoy Natatorium throughout the home meet. The crowd was decked out in pink T-shirts that were provided at the doors in support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
"It adds a different element," Murphy said. "I think the breast cancer awareness adds a little more to it. There was some good energy on the deck, in the pool, and in the stands. It was really nice to see."
With the win, the women's team improved to 4-0 on the season. On the men's side, the Nittany Lions fell to 1-2 on the year. The Hokies topped the Lions by a score of 178.5 -118.5.
"[Virginia Tech] had more guns than we did," Murphy said. "We had some breakthroughs and got a lot out of this meet."
With the majority of the men's team being underclassmen, Murphy said that each meet becomes more of a learning process and is an awakening for what the swimmers need to work on next.
"I think in a lot of different races, people got themselves into the race and they got more out of it," Murphy said. "I think some people learned that they need to get themselves up in the race from the get go."
Freshman Rory Lewis continued his strong rookie campaign by gaining a big lead in the 200-yard butterfly. Lewis was ahead of the pack during the entire race, touching first at 1:49.24. Teammate and senior captain Jon Seiferth was shortly behind, touching second at 1:51.88.
"I was looking for a little more competition honestly," Lewis said. "It was good [to win] and get that."
Another swimmer making a big debut was freshman Tomer Zamir. The NCAA officially cleared Zamir earlier this week, allowing him to compete for the first time as a Nittany Lion. Zamir placed in the top three for all of his singles races, placing third in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly.
"That was really nice," Murphy said. "He's been sitting around waiting to find out, and I think it was a real good boost for him to finally get in and race, be a part of the team. I think it was a big boost for the men."
Coach Murphy said that he hopes the teams will take that energy and attitude from Friday's meet and bring it in to the next one. The Nittany Lions will head to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan and Virginia in a dual-meet on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.