Aug. 18, 2017
Schedule
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Current Penn State women's swimmer Ally McHugh (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Penn State men's alum Shane Ryan (Havertwon, Pa.) will compete in the 29th World University Games, beginning Saturday night (eastern time) in Taipei City, Chinese Taipei.
McHugh, who will enter her junior year at Penn State when she returns to campus, is swimming for the United States, while Ryan, who completed his final year of NCAA eligibility this past season, will swim for his father's native Ireland.
The World University Games are organized every two years by the International University Sports Federation. The 22-sport event will feature approximately 7,000 participants ages 17-23 who are current college students or recent graduates.
McHugh and Ryan will both swim on Sunday in the Taiwan University Sport Arena in Taipei, which is located 12 hours ahead of the eastern time zone. McHugh will compete in the women's 400-meter IM and Ryan in the men's 100m backstroke with preliminary heats slated to start at 9 p.m. ET. Finals for the 400 IM are slated for 7:25 a.m. ET on Sunday, immediately following the men's 100m back semifinals scheduled to start at 7:17 a.m. ET. Finals for the 100m backstroke are slated for 7:15 a.m. ET Monday.
Ryan will also compete in the men's 400m medley relay, with preliminary heats starting at 9 p.m. ET Friday, Aug. 25. The final will be at 8:30 a.m. ET, Saturday, Aug, 27.
McHugh earned her place on the U.S. team with a fourth-place finish in the 400m IM at the U.S. Phillips 66 Nationals in June. Ryan was a semifinalist in the 100m back for Ireland at both the Rio Olympics in 2016 and the FINA World Championships last month.
McHugh is one of 40 swimmers on the United States roster and the first Penn State woman since Amy Modglin in 2011, while Melissa Rodriguez was the last Nittany Lion woman to compete in the Universiade, swimming for her native Mexico, since 2013. McHugh is looking to become the second Nittany Lion woman to medal at the World University Games and the first since Kristen Elias earned silver in the 100m butterfly at the 1989 games in Bulgaria.
Ryan is one of 12 athletes from Ireland competing and the first Penn State man since Pat Schirk reached the finals of the 100m backstroke in the 2009 games.
Check GoPSUSports.com for coverage of the Penn State swimming and diving teams during the season. Follow the team on Twitter at @PennStateSWIM and on Facebook at http://facebook.com/pennstateswimminganddiving.
SCHEDULE
*If qualify
| Date ââ'¬" Time (ET) | Event | Name |
8/19 ââ'¬" 9:00 p.m. | Women's 400m IM Prelims | |
8/19 ââ'¬" 9:00 p.m. | Men's 100m Back Prelims | |
8/20 ââ'¬" 7:17 a.m. | Men's 100m Back Semis | Shane Ryan* |
8/20 ââ'¬" 7:25 a.m. | Women's 400m IM Finals | Ally McHugh* |
8/25 ââ'¬" 9:00 p.m. | Men's 400m Medley Relay Prelims | |
8/26 ââ'¬" 8:30 a.m. | Men's 400m Medley Relay Finals | Shane Ryan* |