UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men's swimmers Carlos Vasquez (Honduras) and Gabe Castano (Mexico) will compete for their native countries in the 2019 Pan American games, which run Tuesday through Saturday in Lima, Peru. The duo will also be joined by Penn State women's swimming alumnae Alyson Ackman (Canada) and Melissa Rodriguez (Mexico).
Vasquez is slated to compete Tuesday in the 400-meter freestyle and the 200m butterfly, while Castano is set for the 50m free Friday.
Both are competing in their first Pan Am Games. Castano won gold in the 50m freestyle at the Mexican National Championships in April with a national-record time of 22.20 seconds that ranks 47th in the world this year. Vasquez has previously competed internationally for Honduras in the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games, 2017 Central American Games, and in the 2016 FINA World Short Course Championships.
Preliminary rounds are scheduled to start at noon ET and finals are scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m. Streaming coverage is provided by ESPN.
Ackman is scheduled to swim in the 400m free (Tuesday). 200m free (Wednesday), 100m free (Thursday) and 50m free (Friday), while Rodriguez is scheduled for the 100m breaststroke (Tuesday), 200m breast (Thursday) and 200 IM (Saturday). Both competed in the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games with Ackman earning gold (4x100m freestyle relay) and bronze (4x200m freestyle relay) and Rodriguez earning a fifth-place finish in the 200m breast.
Check GoPSUSports.com for coverage of the Penn State swimming and diving teams during the season. Follow the team on Twitter and Instagram at @PennStateSWIM and on Facebook at facebook.com/pennstateswimminganddiving.
