Oct. 30, 2015
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" The Penn State swimming and diving teams will travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a double dual meet featuring host Michigan and visiting Virginia, Saturday and Sunday in Canham Natatorium. Competition will begin Friday at 3 p.m. and resume Saturday at 11 a.m.
The men and women will compete in 19 events each over two days. Relays will include the 400 medley, 200 freestyle, 200 medley and 400 freestyle.
The meet will feature strong competition. On the women's side, Virginia is ranked No. 4, Penn State is 20th and Michigan 23rd. Michigan's men are ranked eighth.
The trio of schools met last season in McCoy Natatorium, with the Penn State women narrowly defeating Virginia, 183-170 and just falling to Michigan, 178-175. The Penn State men also went 1-1, downing Virginia, 212-136, but falling to Michigan, 212.5-140.5.
The Series
The Penn State women's team is 14-16 all-time against Virginia since 1981. The two teams have met annually since the 2001-02 season. The Lions are 4-9 all-time against Michigan since 1978.
The Penn State men's team is 11-20 against Virginia in a series that dates all the way back to 1949. The teams have met annually since the 2001-02 season, with Penn State winning the last two meetings Michigan has prevailed in all 10 dual meetings since 1999.
The Nittany Lions
The Penn State women (4-0) are ranked No. 20 in the first College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) NCAA Division I Team Rankings of the 2015-16 season, and also 11th in the latest rankings released by CollegeSwimming.com. The Nittany Lions are off to a strong start this season, sweeping a double dual against Georgia Tech and Liberty and also defeating Emory and Virginia Tech. Freshman Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo (Mexico City, Mexico) and senior Melissa Rodriguez (Chihuahua, Mexico) have already achieved NCAA B-cut standards. Gonzalez-Hermosillo did so in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:19.10 that ranks 19th nationally. Rodriguez surpassed the standard in the 200 breaststroke against Virginia Tech, currently ranking 12th in the nation at 2:13.81.
The Lion men enter the competition at 1-2. Freshman Rory Lewis (Kensington, Md.), the season's inaugural Big Ten Freshman of the Week, continued his strong collegiate debut in the team's last outing against Virginia Tech. He led a 1-2 Penn State finish in the 200 butterfly, followed by captain Jon Seiferth (Allison Park, Pa.) (1:51.88). Lewis also led the Lions in the 100 butterfly, touching the wall second in 50.52. Ryan O'Neill was also victorious in the 200 freestyle (1:39.40).
The Opponents
The Michigan men (2-0) are ranked No. 8 in the nation and the women (2-0) No. 23. Both will be competing at short-course yards distances for the first time this season, as the Wolverines opened the season with a long-course meters double dual at Michigan State that also included Purdue. Both teams defeated both Big Ten foes.
Virginia opened its season hosting Tennessee. The No. 4 women earned a 174-121 victory, while the men suffered a 210-90 defeat. The Cavalier women posted their highest NCAA finish in program history in 2014-15, placing fifth at the NCAA Championships.
Next Up
Penn State will host Connecticut and Princeton in a double dual Nov. 13-14. The double dual will start Friday, Nov. 13 at 5 p.m., and feature two sessions Saturday starting at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.