UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Strong outings on the boards and distance events highlighted the Penn State men's swimming & diving team's efforts in its season opener, but No. 23 Virginia prevailed, 178-112, Saturday inside Virginia's Aquatic and Fitness center.
Quoting The Coaches
Head Coach Tim Murphy
"It was a tough test for us having our first meet on the road against a really good team. I liked our energy and I thought we raced well in spots, but we have a lot of work to do. We just need to learn from this meet. I think the effort was good, we just have to be a little smarter and a little tougher. It was a good kick start for us."
Diving Coach Jeff DiNicola
"As a team we have a lot of work ahead of us this season, but early in the year was a good start. It was also a good measure to see what's working and where we need to make some adjustments. I have high expectations for this group and am excited to see it all play out and make an impact for team results.
"Christina Crowell had a solid meet and a lot of the work that she has been putting in showed up today. She was very close to making her zone cuts.
"Jonah Cey had a nervous start but found a little of his grove for the second event. I only expect him to get better as his college meet experiences grow.
"Hector Garcia Boissier was solid in his event with some simpler skills but still qualified for zones."
Nittany Lion Relays
Penn State earned a pair of runner-up finishes. The team of Liam Veregin, Kaelan Freund, Matthew Dinunzio, and Gabe Castano finished second in the 200 medley relay in 1:29.95 to open the meet, and Will Roberson, Castano, Nathan Schiffman and Dinunzio were out-touched by less than a second in the 400 free relay (3:07.79) to conclude the meet.
Top Individual Performances
On the boards, senior Hector Garcia Boissier won the 1-meter dive, earning a final score of 335.03 to punch his ticket to the NCAA Zone Regionals. Additionally, freshman Jonah Cey had a solid first outing, earning second place in the 3-meter with 292.73 points.
In the swimming events, Penn State's best performances came in the 500 freestyle, 1000 freestyle and 200 breast. Nathan Schiffman was 0.15 seconds shy of first in the 500 free, touching second in 4:31.15, and he was followed by teammates Eben Krigger (4:37.26) and Robbie Dickson (4:37.95) in third and fourth, respectively. Michael Daly and Dickson placed second (9:27.10) and third (9:37.14), respectively, in the 1000, and Kaelan Freund (2nd, 55.92) and Brad Johnson (3rd, 56.92) did the same in the 200 breaststroke.
Also earning runner-up finishes were Liam Veregin in the 100 backstroke (49.48) and Gabe Castano in the 50 free (20.74). Castano also took bronze in the 100 free (45.50) and Daly took bronze in the 200 back (1:49.10).
Additionally, Schiffmann was less than a second off the winning pace in the 200 freestyle, placing fourth in 1:40.21.
Next Up
Penn State will host George Washington in McCoy Natatorium Friday, Oct. 12 at 1 p.m.
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 facebook.com/pennstateswimminganddiving.
