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The Men's Squad Leaves the Regular Season with a 179.5-111.5 Victory Over Villanova

UNIVERSITY PARK –  Penn State men's swimming and diving finished its regular season at McCoy Natatorium Friday with a 179.5-111.5 victory over Villanova.

"We'll take it," Penn State head coach Tim Murphy said. "Now it's time to clean things up, get sharp, get rest, take care of ourselves and stay healthy. We're looking forward to Big Tens."

Top Swims: 
Eduardo Cisternas led the 200 free at 1:40.09 with Jack Harvey and Calvin Wise following to help sweep the podium after the opening relay.

Freshman Andrew Christensen landed a first place finish in the 200 fly at 1:53.33, only less than a second ahead of his competitor this afternoon.

Mariano Lazzerini, Dan Räisänen, and Ryan McNutt followed suit in the 50 free for another all-podium finish for the Nittany Lions. Lazzerini claimed gold at 21.46 and Räisänen followed just behind for second.

The 100 free came with another podium sweep for the men's squad with Victor Baganha, Lachlan Byrne, and Eduardo Cisternas's success. Baganha finished at 44.37 for a first place finish.

An exciting performance in the 500 free as Jack Harvey sprinted home and landed a tie for first with Jack McIntyre of Villanova at 4:39.60.
 
Relays: 
Cooper Morley, Mariano Lazzerini, Victor Baganha, and Tommy Hurley struck gold in the 200 medley relay at 1:28.45, which counted as an exhibition. Lachlan Byrne, Dan Räisänen, Sam Folger, and Ben Doyle followed at a close second at 1:31.78.
 
Top Dives:
Freshman Hayden Elliott and senior Kevin Sullivan took to the podium on the 3-meter dive, Elliott taking home the gold with a 325.05 and Sullivan returning with a 287.03.

On the 1-meter, Elliott notched 331.05 for a first place finish in the diving well.
 
Event Winners: 
200 Free – E. Cisternas (1:40.09)
100 Back – L. Byrne (49.49)
100 Breast – T. Hurley (56.58)
200 Fly – A. Christensen (1:53.33)
50 Free – M. Lazzerini (21.46)
3M Dive – H. Elliott (325.05)
100 Free – V. Baganha (44.37)
200 Back – C. Morley (1:50.73)
200 Breast – M. Lazzerini (2:06.58)
500 Free – J. Harvey (4:39.60)
1M Dive – H. Elliott (331.05)
100 Fly – V. Baganha (48.00)
200 IM – M. Bittner (1:54.00)
 
Up Next: 
The diving squad will head to Morgantown, W.V. to compete against West Virginia Sunday, February 5.

The Nittany Lions are off to the Big Ten Championship in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Wednesday, February 22 for the first of the four-day tournament.

Keep up with Penn State swimming and diving by following the team on Instagram (@PennStateSwimDive), Twitter (@PennStateSWIM) and Facebook (Penn State Swimming & Diving). 

-NITTANY LIONS-