UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. – Penn State men's swimming and diving had eight different event winners in a 175-110 win over Villanova Wildcats Friday evening in the Villanova Swim Complex.
From the Coach
Head Coach Tim Murphy explained how visiting Nikollette Nolte before the meet fueled the team, "She was getting chemo and waved to us. It was really a precious moment. Niki said how we made her day, but really it was her who made our day".
He went on to say "Villanova gave us a good fight. We had some good races. It was a long day, but it was a good test for us".
"We're less than three weeks away from the Big Ten Championships and I think we put in some really good work. We're at the final turn here and I like where the team is right now. It's going to be a huge challenge".
Nittany Lion Relays
To start the meet off, the team of Will Roberson, Brad Johnson, Liam Veregin, and Gabe Castano placed first in the 200 medley with a score of 1:29.73. Penn State's team of Austin Wilson, Hayden Harlow, Tomer Zamir, and Matthew Dinunzio took third in the event with a score of 1:33.47.
To conclude the meet, Castano, Dinunzio, Roberson, and Wilson had the first fastest time in the 200 free relay (1:21.33).
Top Individual Performances
On the boards, Garcia Boissier swept the diving competitions with a win in the 1-meter with a score of 375.30, and the 3-meter (402.37), a pool record. In the 1-meter, Jack Crow finished in second (296.17), with Jonah Cey (271.05) and Bryce Hoch (264.07) following in fourth and fifth. In the 3-meter, John Crow again placed second (332.92) with Hoch (269.93) and Cey (262.28) following in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
For the swimmers, senior co-captain Robbie Dickson started off the individual events with a first-place finish in the 1000 free (9:49.11), with Nathaniel Bledsoe following in second with a time of 10.07.19.
Hayden Harlow placed in first in two events, including the 200 breast and a sweep in the 200 free. Following Harlow in the 200 free was Eben Krigger (1:41.08) and Michael Daly (1:41.87). Daly also had a first place finish in the 200 back (1:50.40).
In the 100 back, Alec Peckmann finished first (50.29) with Will Roberson trailing in third with a time of 52.96. Roberson also came in second in the 50 free (20.51), with Gabe Castano coming in first place (20.21), a pool record.
Matthew Dinunzio also had a first place finish for the Nittany Lions, with a first-place finish in the 200 fly (1:50.18) with Jacob Deckman trailing with a time of 1:53.54. Deckman also had a second-place finish in the 500 free (4:45.19), following Eben Krigger, who placed first with a time of 4:45.13. Adding to the list of first place finishes was Liam Veregin in the 100 free (46.10) with Austin Wilson following closely behind (47.81).
Penn State Event Winners
200 Medley Relay- Will Roberson, Brad Johnson, Liam Veregin, and Gabe Castano -1:29.73
1000 free- Robbie Dickson-9:49.11
200 free- Hayden Harlow-1:40.31
100 back- Alec Peckmann-50.29
200 fly- Matthew Dinunzio-1:50.18
50 free- Gabe Castano-20.21
100 free- Liam Veregin-46.10
200 back- Michael Daly-1:50.40
200 breast- Hayden Harlow-2:05.59
500 free- Eben Krigger-4:45.13
Next Up
The men's team will travel to Iowa City, Iowa on Wednesday, February 27 for the Big Ten Championships starting at 6:30 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.
A fundraiser has been launched to support freshman women's swimmer Nikolette Nolte (Lenhartsville, Pa.) 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
