UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Women's Swimming and Diving Team concluded their regular season with a win against Villanova, defeating the Wildcats 202-91 Friday evening at McCoy Natatorium.
The team also honored their seniors for their final swims at home: Olivia Jack, Madison Ledwith, Brooke Matthias, Madison Murtagh, Mackenzie O'Connor, Marie Schobel, Sadie Schumann, Marget Shelly, Kate Sheridan, and Sierra Shurts.
Seniors Murtagh, Schobel and Shurts and sophomore Kylie Rydland led the team in individual event wins, each earning a pair of victories.
Top Swims
Murtagh led Penn State in sweeping the freestyle events by winning the 1000 (10:06.87) and the 500 (5:00.01).
Schobel won both backstroke events for the Nittany Lions, winning the 100 in 53.85 and the 200 in 1:57.00. In the 100, sophomore Ellie Brandbergh (55.77), junior Margaret Markvardt (57.38), freshman Tori Howard (58.00) and sophomore Anna Redican (58.09) followed her to sweep the top five places.
Rydland won the pair of breaststroke events, finishing the 100 in 1:04.30 and the 200 in 2:17.08.
Sophomore Morgan Rinn and Brandbergh won the 200 (2:02.03) and the 100 fly (55.58) to lead the Nittany Lions to victories in both fly events. In the 200, Rinn was followed by sophomore Catherine Loughlin (2:03.36), Shelly (2:03.50) and freshman Mac Sullivan (2:03.55) to sweep the top four places. And in the 100, Jack (55.65) and Sullivan (55.84) closely followed Brandbergh home to second and third.
In the 200 free, freshman Shelby Kahn (1:50.22) and Mo Pedersen (1:51:00) raced home to first and second.
Graduate student Maddie Cooke (23.23) and junior Abigail Amdor (23.26) split first and second in the 50 free by three hundredths of a second.
Amdor first in the 100 free (50.92) while Kahn placed second (51.77).
Top Dives
Shurts led Penn State on the boards winning both the 3-meter (298.13) and the 1-meter (272.40), earning her first NCAA zone cut in the latter.
Nittany Lions Relays
Schobel, Jack, Matthias and Ledwith, a team of seniors, opened their senior meet with a victory in the 200 medley touching first in 1:42.36.
At the end of the meet, sophomore Cat Stanford, Cooke, Amdor and freshman Maura Fluehr led Penn State in the 400 free as the top exhibition relay (3:25.30).
Event Winners
1000 Free – Madison Murtagh (10:06.87)
200 Free – Shelby Kahn (1:50.22)
100 Back – Marie Schobel (53.85)
100 Breast – Kylie Rydland (1:04.30)
200 Fly – Morgan Rinn (2:02.03)
50 Free – Maddie Cooke (23.23)
100 Free – Abigail Amdor (50.92)
200 Back – Marie Schobel (1:57.00)
200 Breast – Kylie Rydland (2:17.08)
500 Free – Madison Murtagh (5:00.01)
100 Fly – Ellie Brandbergh (55.58)
1-Meter – Sierra Shurts (272.40)
3-Meter – Sierra Shurts (298.13)
Next Up
The Nittany Lions are preparing for the Big Ten Championships hosted by the University of Wisconsin. The meet will begin on Wednesday, February 16 and will conclude that Saturday on February 19.
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.
