UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State swimming returns to McCoy Natatorium at 4 p.m. Friday, September 16 for an intrasquad, pre-season matchup between the Blue and White.
"The Blue/White meet is a low stress and fun opportunity to start to see how much our hard work in and out of the pool is paying off," team captain Ellie Tiskus said. "As a team, we love swimming at home and racing each other, so this is the perfect opportunity to swim fast, practice our race routines and share lots of good memories."
The White Teams:
Tiskus alongside Will Lulek captain the white teams highlighted by returners such as Cat Stanford and Jack Harvey.
Stanford, a junior, owns Penn State's fifth-fastest 100 free (49.15), leading the Nittany Lions in the sprint free events as a finalist at last year's NC State invitational and B1G Championships.
Harvey returns to Happy Valley as a sophomore after representing Bermuda at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Competing in the backstroke events, he finished 13th in the 200 (2:05.93).
"We're very excited to get together as the White Team and compete," Lulek said. "We have a strong team with key contribution from the freshman class. This is an excellent opportunity to work on our routines individually and collectively and set a high standard we can build on for the rest of the year!"
The Blue Teams:
The blue squads, led by Lachlan Byrne and Emma Harvey, celebrate the return of seniors Daniel Raisanen and Abbie Amdor.
Raisanen, the Nittany Lion's record-busting breaststroker, makes his first appearance in McCoy after representing Sweden at the European World Championships in Rome. Last season he broke Penn State records in the 100 (51.96) and 200 (1:54.7) Breast throughout the year and earned multiple appearances at the NCAA Championships and B1G Championship finals.
Amdor, 400 Medley Relay record-holder (3:33.26), holds the ninth-fastest 50 Free (22.61), sixth-fastest 100 Free (49.16) and seventh-fastest 200 Free (1:47.12) in Penn State history. At last year's B1G Championships, she scored for the Nittany Lions in each sprint freestyle race she swam.
"The Blue team is ready to race," said captain Emma Harvey. "We know it's going to be a close battle with the white team, but we are incredibly excited to see what we can do in a competition setting."
Event Lineup:
200 Medley Relay
500 Free
50 Free
200 IM
100 Fly
100 Free
100 Back
200 Free
100 Breast
200 Free Relay
Parking:
Friends and family can park in the East Parking Deck, accessible off Bigler Road, for $1/hour. Fans are reminded that parking is now enforced 24 hours per day, seven days a week for campus lots near McCoy Natatorium. For more information, please visit the Penn State Transportation Service's athletic parking website.
Keep up with the Nittany Lions by following the team on Instagram (@pennstateswimdive), Twitter (PennStateSWIM) and Facebook (Penn State Swimming & Diving).
