UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State swimming & diving will travel to Columbus, Ohio this weekend to compete in their first meet of the 2020-21 season. Both teams will face off against Big Ten foe Ohio State on Saturday, January 16 at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. The women are set to begin at 10 a.m., followed by the men at 2 p.m. The meet will be streamed live on BTN+.
The Nittany Lions will face a tough challenge this weekend against a competitive conference rival. The Penn State men, who received one vote in the latest CSCAA/TYR Top 25 poll, will face an 18th-ranked Ohio State team. The Penn State women will also face a ranked team as the Buckeyes are ranked 21st.
The diving team will be competing in their third meet of the season after two virtual contests against Arizona and Nebraska earlier this year.
The Series
The Penn State women's team is 12-3 against Ohio State all-time, with their first meet being held in 1984. The last time these two faced each other, the women's team narrowly lost against the Buckeyes in November of the 2019-20 season.
The Penn State men's team is 4-20 against Ohio State in dual competition all-time. The men last faced off against the Buckeyes in November of 2019 in a double-dual meet with Virginia Tech. The Nittany Lions fell to Ohio State 193.5-158.5.
The Swimmers
The Nittany Lions have competed in two intersquad meets this year in preparation for the upcoming season. The men's team was highlighted by junior Michael Daly who set four new pool records in the 400 IM (3:45.79), 200 free (1:36.58), 200 back (1:42.04), and 100 back (47.01) which he secured for his lead-off time in the 400 medley relay. In addition, both senior Hayden Harlow and junior William Lulek secured a new pool record, Harlow in the 200 IM (1:47.85) and Lulek in the 200 breast (1:59.76).
Senior William Roberson earned a new PR in the 100 free during the teams Blue White Invitational. His time of 43.45 is nearly .30 seconds faster than his previous best.
The women were led by senior Maddie Cooke who matched her PR in the 100 breast (1:00.83) for a win at the Blue White Invitational. Junior Marie Schobel also had an impressive showing as she swam just under .70 seconds away from her career best in the 200 back.
The Divers
The diving team will be competing in their first in-person contest after participating in two virtual meets against Arizona and Nebraska earlier this season.
Senior Kamryn Umbel has had a successful run thus far after winning the 3-meter (253.13) and placing third in the 1-meter (242.18) against Arizona. She was followed by junior Sierra Shurts who earned second in both the 1-meter (248.98) and 3-meter (244.05). Shurts also had two top five finishes against Nebraska, securing third in the 1-meter (252.72) and fourth in the 3-meter (263.10).
Sophomore Wei Wei received fourth on the 3-meter (204.60) after scoring big on a new dive against Arizona.
For the men, junior Jonah Cey led the Nittany Lions with two impressive scores in both the 1-meter (265.50) and 3-meter (283.43) against Nebraska.
Senior Bryce Hoch scored well on big dives against Arizona to come away with a second-place finish in the 3-meter (285.08).
Newcomer Logan Krabbe's consistent performance earned him third in the 3-meter (249.15) against Arizona. He improved from his first meet to put up impressive scores in the 1-meter (252.60) and 3-meter (274.65) against Nebraska.
The Opponents
This marks the beginning of the 2020-21 season for the Buckeyes. Last season, the Buckeye men went 4-3 and earned second-place at Big Tens. The women finished 6-2 and came out on top at the 2020 Big Ten Championship.
Next Up
The team will travel to Evanston, IL for a tri-meet against Northwestern and Iowa Friday, January 22 to Saturday, January 23. Check GoPSUSports.com for coverage of the Penn State swimming and diving teams during the season. Follow the team on Twitter at @PennStateSWIM, on Instagram at @pennstateswimdive, and on Facebook at facebook.com/pennstateswimminganddiving.