MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Penn State women's swimming concluded their last day of Big Ten Championships finish on Saturday evening in the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center at the University of Minnesota.
The Nittany Lions achieved two top-24 finishes, including two top-16 finishes in the final day of competition.
Penn State finished the meet in 10th place with 410 points.
Top Swims
Junior Marie Schobel had another standout night, placing 14th in the 200 backstroke (1:56.90). She was the top scorer for the Nittany Lions in the meet, scoring 42 points.
Senior Carly Hart impressed in the 200 breaststroke with a 16th-place (2:15.72) finish.
In the 1650 freestyle (mile), Madison Murtagh had a solid swim of 16:32.39, finished at 16th place.
Cat Stanford led the Penn State freshmen with a 17th place overall and first place finish in the C-finals of the 100 free with a career-best time of 49.48. That swim was also the fastest 100 free of the 2020-21 season for Penn State.
Sophomore Abbie Amdor joined Stanford in the 100 free C-final and finished at 19th overall and third in her heat (49.87).
Day Four
Schobel placed sixth in the 100 back with a time of 53.11 for her highest finish at Big Ten Championships in her career.
Senior Maddie Cooke shined again on day three with a ninth-place overall swim in prelims (1:00.92) and 15th overall in finals (1:01.12). Cooke was the second-highest scorer for Penn State, scoring 40 points overall.
Also in B-finals, sophomore Margaret Markvardt scored more points for the Nittany Lions in the 100 back with a 14th place time of 54.09. Her finals time was a career best.
In the 100 breast C-finals, Hart swam for 17th place overall and first in her heat in both finals and prelims, with a finals time of 1:01.13.
The 200 free relay, at 1:29.48 for fifth place, is now the fourth-fastest for Penn State all-time.
Senior Stephanie Szekely was also the winner of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award at the conclusion of tonight's events.
Day Three
In the 100 butterfly B-finals, Cooke swam for 15th place with a time of 54.04. Her prelim time of 53.89 was a career best and the 10th-fastest time in Penn State history in the event.
Junior Madison Ledwith swam for 17th (53.94) and first in the 100 fly C-finals with the fastest finals time for Penn State.
Szekely placed 18th (4:15.63) and second in the C-finals after being seeded 24th (4:20.20) overall in prelims. Her finals time was a career best.
Day Two
On the first day of individual races, Cooke swam for 11th place and third in the B-finals with a career best time of 22.39 in the 50 freestyle. That time also bumped her up to fourth-fastest all-time in the 50 free for Penn State and earned her another NCAA B-Cut time.
Also on day two, Markvardt placed 14th in the 200 IM B-finals with a time of 2:00.54. Her prelims time of 1:59.39 was a career best and an NCAA B-Cut.
Nittany Lion Relays
The 200 free relay swam for fifth place (1:29.48) with a team of Cooke, Elizabeth Gaspari, Stanford and Amdor. It is now the fourth-fastest for Penn State all-time.
Penn State began day one with a fourth-place swim in the 200 medley (1:38.14) with a team of Schobel, Hart, Markvardt, and Cooke.
The 400 free relay finished seventh (3:19.21) as the last race at Big Ten Championships with a team of Stanford, Cooke, Amdor, and Gaspari.
Awards
Senior Stephanie Szekely earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Next Up
The Women's Swimming & Diving NCAA Championships will be held on March 17-20 in Greensboro, N.C. at the Greensboro Aquatic Complex.
Check GoPSUSports.com for coverage of the Penn State swimming and diving teams during the season. Follow the team on Instagram at @pennstateswimdive, Twitter at @PennStateSWIM and on Facebook at facebook.com/pennstateswimminganddiving.
