UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State swimming and diving returns to McCoy Saturday at 10 a.m., hosting Virginia Tech on Senior Day presented by Penn State Alumni Association. A second-straight home meet after a record-breaking meet against Army, the team honors its 10 seniors concluding their undergraduate collegiate career this season.
Friends, family and fans can stream the meet on B1G+ plus and view live results through the Meet Mobile app.
The Nittany Lions:
Both men's and women's teams look to carry their momentum from last week's meet into the coming weekend. Together, the Nittany Lions broke two school records, set six pool records and earned multiple NCAA Zone and B-Cuts.
Graduate student Daphne Wils continues to lead Penn State on the boards, breaking both the school and pool records in the 3-Meter (356.55) and 1-Meter (330.90) dives for the second time this season on January 13.
Penn State relay teams also earned a medley of pool records. Both the men's and women's 200 Medley teams set new standards at McCoy – Lachlan Byrne, Daniel Raisanen, Victor Baganha and Mariano Lazzerini and Molly Carson, Olivia Jack, Emma Harvey and Mary Brinker swimming to 1:26.88 and 1:38.01 respectively. The women's 200 Free relay of Brinker, Ellie Tiskus, Cat Stanford and Jack also touched in a natatorium record time of 1:30.74.
Individually, freshmen Eduardo Cisternas and Catherine Meisner shone while racing the 500 (4:22.53) and 200 (1:46.92) Free and claimed two more pool records for the Nittany Lions.
The Hokies:
Virginia Tech presents a fierce challenge to Penn State. Their men's and women's teams enter the matchup with season records of 4-1 and 3-3 and each took fourth at the Ohio State Invitational midseason championship.
Senior Meet Honorees:
Abbie Amdor: As a sprint freestyler Amdor inked her name into Nittany Lion record books with the ninth-fastest 50, sixth-fastest 100 and eighth-fastest 200 free times and as a member of the record-holding 400 medley relay team. In addition to scoring in last year's B1G Championship in the 200 free, she also scored in both the 50 and 100 free at every conference championship she's competed in and was recognized as a 2022 second team Scholar All-American. Amdor graduates with a degree in rehabilitation and human services.
Lachlan Byrne: A backstroker and freestyler, Byrne was selected as a team captain this season. Last year, he became a first team scholar all-American, won the Ellen Perry & Robert Krimmel Academic Achievement Award and placed on the Nittanys all-academic team. In the pool he's represented Penn State at the 2022 NCAA Championships by swimming to 21st place and a new school record alongside his teammates in the 200 Medley rRlay, competed at the Phillips 66 National Championships, earning a top-30 finish in the 100 back and swam in finals at the Big Ten Championships for the past two years. Lachlan graduates with a degree in finance and economics and hopes to become an investment banker.
Devon Forker: A breastroker and IM'er majoring in veterinary and biomedical sciences and minoring in One Health, Forker hopes to become a large animal veterinarian. She's represented Penn State at three Big Ten Championships, competing in the 200 IM, 400 IM and 200 Fly each year. After graduating, she will travel during her gap year.
Emma Harvey: Harvey excels in the pool as an athlete, student and leader. She owns the eighth-fastest 100 back and sixth-fastest 100 fly times in Penn State history and is a member of the record-setting 200 medley relay. Last summer she competed at the commonwealth games, representing Bermuda in the 50 and 100 back semifinals. Emma earned recognition as a second team scholar all-American, recipient of the Jerome Weinstein Award and one of this year's team captains. She graduates with degrees in economics and international politics.
Courtney Marlin: A freestyler, Marlin came to Happy Valley from a Penn State swimming & diving family. Both her parents as well as her older sister swam for the Nittany Lions, and her younger sister Krista now joins her on the team. Marlin competed at two Big Ten Championships and swam to 23rd place in the 1650 Free last year after dropping seven and a half seconds. She graduates with a degree in veterinary and biomedical sciences and hopes to become a veterinarian after attending vet school.
Shannon Meadway: A IM'er, a backstroker and an international politics major, Meadway hopes to work in a counterterrorism or detective department. She's represented the Nittany Lions at the Big Ten Championships, nearly qualifying for finals and this year she leads the team in the 400 IM with the fastest time of the season.
Danial Raisanen: As a breastroker and a student, Raisanen has earned athletic and academic honors during his four years at Penn State. He was named a first team scholar all-American and sits atop the Nittany Lion record book in the 100 and 200 breast and 200 and 400 medley relays. He represented Penn State at the 2022 NCAA Championships by swimming to 18th and 27th place in the 100 and 200 breast; competed at the European Championships after sweeping the breaststroke events at the Swedish national meet and swam to fourth in the 200 breast and fifth in the 100 breast at finals at the Big Ten Championships. Raisanen graduates with a degree in marketing.
Kevin Sullivan: Sullivan won the Robert E. Galbraith Award and an honorable all-American mention for his work in the class and on the boards as a diver. During his time as a Nittany Lion, his teammates elected him as a captain, he advanced to the NCAA Zone A Regional final in the 1-meter and 3-meter dives and scored at the Big Ten Championships in the platform dive. After graduating with a neuropsychology degree, Sullivan hopes to attend law school for medical malpractice.
Ellie Tiskus: A freestyler and backstroker majoring in international politics, Tiskus came to Penn State from Pittsburgh. Across her four years with the team, she's excelled athletically and academically as a Schreyer Honors Scholar, an NC State Invitational finalist and at the Big Ten Championships. This year, Ellie's teammates elected her as one of their captains. After graduating, she plans to attend the University of San Diego's Law School and this summer will attend the Officer Candidate School for the US Marines Corps to serve as a Marine Officer and JAG.
Wei Wei: Coming to Penn State from Queens in New York City, Wei inked her name atop Nittany Lion record books in the platform dive earlier this year. At the beginning of the season, her teammates named her as a team captain after she represented Penn State on the boards at three Big Ten Championships. Wei will graduate with a degree in biobehavioral health and attend graduate school to become a nurse anesthetist.
Keep up with Penn State swimming and diving by following the team on Instagram (@PennStateSwimDive), Twitter (@PennStateSWIM) and Facebook (Penn State Swimming & Diving).
