UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The unbeaten Penn State Nittany Lions swimming and diving team will head south this weekend to West Virginia to face the Mountaineers.
The men's team will hit the pool Friday night at 6 p.m. while the women's team will swim at 10 a.m. Saturday morning.
"We're on the road now which is a little different from being at home," said coach Tim Murphy, "You're not quite as comfortable, you're on their turf now. It will be a really good test for us to be traveling and kind of see where we're at."
Mens
The men's team enters the contest following two straight wins to begin the 2023-24 season against Navy and St. Bonaventure.
Last season the Nittany Lions were able to cruise to a 200.5-96.5 win against the Mountaineers.
In the all-time meeting, the Nittany Lions hold an 11-1 advantage over West Virginia including a 4-1 road record. The last time the two faced off in Morgantown, Penn State was able to come away with a 161-132 victory.
The Nittany Lions are led by their lightning fast relay teams which are yet to lose in the 2023-24 season. Freshman Tylor Kim continues to lead both relay teams to success aided by a plethora of talent around him.
Sophomore Mariano Lazzerini has been fantastic in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, winning both of those events against Navy while posting some dominant times.
The Nittany Lions were able to sweep two events last weekend against Navy to help build the margin of victory. In the 100 back, Cooper Morley, Matthew Bittner and Lachlan Byrne finished one-two-three for the Nittany Lions in dominant fashion. Later on in the meet, Sean Honey, Bittner and Calvin Wise swept the 200 IM to secure the win for the Nittany Lions.
Sophomore Eduardo Cisternas continues to shave time off his 500 and 1000 free times. He shaved three seconds off his 1000 free mark between the two opening meets.
Senior diver Kevin Sullivan and sophomore Hayden Elliot lead the charge on the diving side for the Nittany Lions. Sullivan set a new personal record in the three-meter dive against St. Bonaventure and showed well against Navy. Elliot is unbeaten this season in the one-meter dive.
The West Virginia men enter the meet following a victory over five other schools in the West Virginia State Games to begin their 2023-24 campaign. The team is led by Sophomore Danny Berlitz who won four individual events for the Mountaineers including the 200 breast, 100 free, 200 IM and 200 free.
The men's team won all eight of the events at the West Virginia State Games and look to build upon the early season momentum against the Nittany Lions.
Womens
The women's team continues to get better in the early season for the Nittany Lions beating both St. Bonaventure and Navy by large margins. Against West Virginia, the women hold an 11-0 overall record including a 6-0 road record against the Mountaineers.
Senior Cat Stanford leads Penn State in the pool with her dominance both in the relays and individual events. She's unbeaten in the 50, 100 and 200 free to this point in the 2023-24 season. She anchors the 200 medley relay and leads off in the 400 free relay teams which are both undefeated to begin the year.
Sophomore Morgan Moore won the 1000 free with teammates senior Morgan Rinn and freshman Morgan Jenny in chase to sweep that event against Navy. They'll look to continue their strong efforts in the distance swims.
Senior Abby Henderson and junior Molly Carson have created a dynamic duo. Carson has also shown speed in the 100 back this season.
In the diving well, Freshman Kailey Koval and Abigail Ekstrom have shined for the Nittany Lions. Ekstrom was the winner of the three-meter dive against Navy and Koval finished second in the one-meter dive.
For the Mountaineers, they enter the meet after finishing second at the West Virginia State Games to Marshall.
The Mountaineers are led by sophomores Mia Cheatwood and Ada Szwabinska. Cheatwood was the winner of the 200 breast and 200 IM at the West Virginia State Games and Szwabinska won the 100 free. Together, they contribute to a lightning fast 400 medley relay team.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions will head to South Bend following this weekend against West Virginia to face Notre Dame and Pitt in a tri-meet.
For updates on Penn State swimming and diving, follow the team on Instagram (@pennstateswimdive), Twitter (@PennStateSwim) and Facebook (Penn State Swimming & Diving).