Jan. 14, 2016
| YALE/RUTGERS | |
Kiphuth Exhibition Pool | New Haven, Conn. | |
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2015-16 Top Times: Penn State Women | Penn State Men
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" After a nearly month-long break from competition, the Penn State swimming and diving teams will travel for a double dual meet featuring host Yale and visiting Rutgers Friday and Saturday at the Kiphuth Exhibition Pool.
On Friday, the diving session will start at 4:00 p.m., followed by swimming at 6:00 p.m. Competition will resume on Saturday with diving at 10:00 a.m. and swimming at noon.
Both teams will compete against Ivy league foe Yale, while the women will also take on Big Ten opponent Rutgers. Both 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 three schools met last season in the Garden State, with the Penn State women defeating Rutgers 212-138. The Penn State men's team fell short to Yale 181-172.
The Series
The Penn State women's team is 13-2 against Rutgers since 1977 and will be meeting Yale for the first time. Additionally, the Penn State-Rutgers matchup will be the second between the teams as Big Ten members.
The Penn State men's team is 0-1 in the series against Yale after the first meeting between the teams last season.
The Nittany Lions
The Penn State women (4-2) are ranked No. 20 in the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) NCAA Division I Team rankings and 16th in the latest rankings released by CollegeSwimming.com. Casey Francis holds the Lions' highest ranked time, ranking fifth nationally and second in the Big Ten in the 1650 freestyle with her school record time of 16:05.37. Classmate Katelyn Sowinski ranks 38th in the same event with a top time of 16:25.78. Senior Melissa Rodriguez is also among national leaders, ranking 12th nationally and third in the Big Ten in the 200 breaststroke with a season-best time of 2:08.83 at the most recent Georgia Invitational.
The Nittany Lion men (1-4) enter the competition ranked 48th by CollegeSwimming.com. Freshman Rory Lewis continues a strong college debut posting the team's top-ranked time with a provisional qualifier in the 200 butterfly of 1:46.47, which currently ranks seventh in the Big Ten. Matt Stasiunas is also a provisional qualifier in the 200 freestyle (1:37.54) and 1650 free (15:29.15).
The Opponents
Rutgers (5-1) began the 2015-16 season in Fort Meyers, Fla. competing in the Florida Gulf Coast University Classic featuring Big Ten Conference member Ohio State and South Carolina. The team swam their latest dual meet at Miami's (host) Whitten University Center Pool in Coral Gables, Florida where the team fell short to Kansas and Miami.
The Yale women (6-0, 5-0 Ivy) are currently ranked 27th overall and the nation's top mid-major by CollegeSwimming.com. The Bulldogs finished strong last season, placing third in the Ivy Championships. The team opened its season by defeating Ivy competitors Brown and Columbia. The women recently defeated Dartmouth and Penn on Jan. 9 at their annual tri-meet.
The Yale men (7-1) are ranked 43rd by CollegeSwimming.com. The team had their best season since 2008 last season also placing third in the Ivy Championships. Starting their season with a win against Brown and Columbia. The Bulldogs have had close competition this season, resulting in last week's win against Dartmouth and loss to host team Penn.
Next Up
Penn State travels to Navy for a dual meet in Annapolis, Md. Saturday, Jan. 23 starting at 11 a.m.