Oct. 2, 2015
| PENN STATE AT GEORGIA TECH VS. LIBERTY | |
| Friday, Oct. 2 | |
| Results | |
ATLANTA ââ'¬" The Penn State women's swimming and diving team opened the 2015-16 season with a pair of victories, defeating Georgia Tech, 173-119, and Liberty 197-96, Friday night in the GT Aquatic Center.
Of the 14 swimming events, Penn State (2-0), swept the podium in two, claimed the top two places in four additional races, and took gold and bronze in two others.
Penn State opened the meet by claiming the top two places in the 400-yard medley relay, led by the team of Casey Fazio (Washington Township, N.J.), Melissa Rodriguez (Chihuahua, Mexico), Katie Saloky (Bloomsburg, Pa.) and Alyson Ackman (Montreal) in 3:46.74. The 'B' team of Allie Pennetti (Wexford, Pa.), Taylor Cameron (Burlington, Ontario), Katie Rowe (Glenville, N.Y.) and Kaitlin Jones (Midlothian, Va.) touched second in 3:48.54. The Lions also posted the fastest time in the 400 freestyle relay to conclude the meet, but the event was unscored. Mackenzie Hornibrook (West Chester, Pa.), Ackman, Jones and Saloky finished in 3:26.52.
Casey Francis (East Meadow, N.Y.) claimed the 1,000 freestyle by more than 27 seconds, touching in 10:03.17. She also claimed the 500 free, edging teammate Katelyn Sowinski (Severna Park, Md.) (4:57.53) by just 0.32 seconds in 4:57.21.
Megan Wujciak (Livingston, N.J.) led a sweep in the 200 free, touching first in 1:50.27. Ackman trailed in 1:51.67 and was followed by Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo (Mexico City). Wujciak (2:03.77) also led four Nittany Lions with the fastest times in the 200 IM, but the race was not scored. Haley Sinatro (West Hartford, Conn.) (2:03.79), Gonzalez-Hermosillo (2:04.01), and Rowe (2:05.88) followed in order.
Rowe (2:00.60), Sowinski (2:01.70) and Francis (2:05.67) also completed a sweep of the 200 butterfly. Saloky (23.32) and Jones (23.74) claimed the top two places in the 50 free, while Fazio (2:02.60) and Rowe (2:02.74) did the same in a close finish in the 200 backstroke. Jones (50.67) and Ackman (51.67) claimed gold and bronze in the 100 free, as did Pennetti (55.98) and Fazio (56.94) in the 100 backstroke.
Additional event wins included Rodriguez in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.16) and Saloky in the 100 butterfly (56.33).
Mackenzie Cornell (Germantown, Md.) led the Lions in both diving events, placing second in both the 1-meter (256.80) and 3-meter (292.60) dives. She came up 1.35 points shy of Georgia Tech's Shannon Lumbra in the 3-meter.
Penn State will return to the pool Saturday in Atlanta, taking on Emory.