KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Penn State men's swimming and diving finished strong on day three of the Tennessee Invitational in the Jones Aquatic Center. The final day of competition finished with many top-10 finishes and an NCAA B-cut.
The Nittany Lions finished the weekend with 563 points, to rank fifth trailing No 10. Tennessee (1227), Penn (728), No. 25 Duke (632), and Denver (590). Carson-Newman followed Penn State with 164 points.
Leading for the Nittany Lions was Michael Daly, who finished sixth in the 1650 free in 9:27.10 and eighth in the 200 back (1:47.95). On Friday, Daly became second on the all-time top times for Penn State in the 400 IM with an NCAA B-cut time of 3:49.09. Theo Perelli finished 10th in the 200 back, finishing the B-cut finals with a time of 1:47.95.
Gabe Castano also had a strong final day, posting an NCAA B-cut time of 43.57 in the 100 free, placing sixth in the event. Will Roberson followed closely behind with a time of 44.67.
In the 200 breast, Hayden Harlow solidified his weekend by placing eighth in the 200 breast in 2:00.62. Harlow finished the weekend by becoming the fifth-fastest performer in Penn State history in the 200 IM (1:46.48) and third-fastest performer in the 400 IM (3:49.09), which were both NCAA B-cut times.
The Nittany Lions had two top-10 finishes in the 200 fly, led by sixth-place finisher Matt DiNunzio (1:48.34) and Jacob Deckman, who placed tenth (1:49.04).
Wrapping up the weekend on the boards for the Nittany Lions was Jack Crow, who placed eighth in the platform (254.15). Crow also placed fourth with in the 3-meter (361.85) and ninth in the 1-meter. Hector Garcia Boissier had two top-three finishes over the weekend in the 1-meter (3rd, 361.65) and the 3-meter (1st, 411.90), a season best.
Quoting the Coaches
Diving Coach Jeff DiNicola
"Diving did well after a long break. Hector won the three meter with a solid list…and as a team we looked good."
Assistant Coach Steve Barnes
"It was a great meet for the team. This was a great end to the first part of the season and will be an excellent springboard for the second half of the season. The team created an amazing atmosphere and had an immense deck presence."
Assistant Coach Josh Graham
"I was extremely impressed with the energy, enthusiasm, and efforts of our men and women this weekend. They embraced the opportunity to compete, and it was a great indicator of where we are at after the first three months of the season. There are still a number of things that need to be cleaned up for the B1G Championship, but they have created a great foundation to build from."
Assistant Coach Matt Hurst
"This was one of the best team performances we've had in our time here. The team embraced opportunity to compete, the opportunity to have fun, and the opportunity to build towards the B1G Championship. Everyone was willing to take a chance and step up for the team. There are always things to improve on and we'll look to do that as we move towards championships.
Next Up
Penn State swimmers and divers will start the New Year traveling Navy to face the hosting Mids and North Carolina Saturday, Jan. 12.
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.
A fundraiser has been launched to support freshman women's swimmer Nikolette Nolte and her family for costs associated with her leukemia treatment. Any surplus funds will be donated to THON and the Jessie Rees Foundation to help others facing pediatric cancer. Donate at gopsu.info/nikistrong
