SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The Penn State men's and women's swimming and diving teams are undefeated as they head into the fourth weekend of competition. The Nittany Lions will face both Notre Dame and Pitt for a tri-meet in South Bend, Indiana.
Both the men's and women's teams will face Notre Dame on Friday at 3 p.m. and Pitt at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Men's
The men's team has produced recurrent wins in multiple events to help them claim victory in the first three meets.
Sophomore Cooper Morley has been dominating in the 100 back, placing first in this event for every meet this season.
Another unbeaten swimmer is junior Sam Folger who has taken the first spot in the 200 fly against St. Bonaventure, Navy, and West Virginia.
Penn State also dominates in the freestyle with junior Victor Baganha staying unbeaten in the 50 free this season, sophomore Eduardo Cisternas undefeated in the 500, and freshman Tylor Kim placing first in the 100 free against St. Bonaventure and Navy with Baganha taking first against the Mountaineers.
In the meet this past weekend against West Virginia, the Nittany Lions swept the 100 fly as sophomore Matthew Bittner, freshman Caden Davis, and sophomore Erik Bolang placed first, second, and third.
Both relay teams add to the list of unbeaten events for Penn State. Morley, Mariano Lazzerini, Baganha, and Kim had yet another victory in the 400 medley relay, and the team of Lazzerini, Kim, Ryan McNutt, and Morley won the 200 free relay as well.
The divers are in full control of their events so far this season with Hayden Elliott and Kevin Sullivan leading the charge. In the 1-meter, Elliott won against St. Bonaventure and Navy, and Sullivan took first against West Virginia. Both are continuing to place in the 3-meter as well.
The Irish are coming into this meet undefeated as well, with wins against both Wisconsin and Purdue to start their 2023-2024 season. Pitt on the other hand, is coming off two straight losses against Stanford and Cal Berkeley. Both will be eager to get a win this weekend and defeat the Nittany Lions again in their second meeting.
Penn State faced Notre Dame and Pitt for the first-time last year and suffered a tough loss of 125-226 against the Irish and a close loss to Pitt, the score being 171-180.
Women's
The women's team has also had many wins, but with an assortment of swimmers contributing to the success in each event.
Penn State has won the 200 free in all three of the past meets with senior Cat Stanford placing first against St. Bonaventure, and the Meisner sisters, Catherine Meisner and Julia Meisner, winning this event against Navy and West Virginia.
Stanford has also been dominant in the 100 free, staying undefeated through the first three meets of the 2023-2024 season.
Another unbeaten swimmer is Catherine Meisner who has been victorious in the 500 free against St. Bonaventure, Navy, and West Virginia.
This past weekend against the West Virginia Mountaineers, the women's team swept the 200 free with Julia Meisner coming in first, Morgan Moore in second, and Stanford placing third.
Both relay teams are continuing success, winning the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay against the Bonnies and the Midshipmen as well as taking the top spot in the 200 freestyle this past weekend against the Mountaineers.
On the diving front, freshman Abigail Ekstrom and freshman Kailey Koval have both placed in the top three in the 1-meter and 3-meter for each meet this season. Ekstrom has two wins and a second-place finish in the 1-meter and 3-straight firsts in the 3-meter. Koval is right behind her with two second place ranks and a third in the 1-meter and the 3-meter.
The women's team for both the Irish and the Panthers are coming off two straight losses. The Irish lost to Wisconsin and Purdue, and the Panthers lost to both Stanford and Cal. Each team will be hungry to take their first win of the season against the undefeated Nittany Lions.
During their first matchup against Notre Dame last year, the women lost to the Irish 166-187. However, they came home with a win against Pitt with a score of 196-157.
Next Up
Following the meet this weekend, the teams will not compete until they head to the Princeton Invite on November 30th in Princeton, N.J.
For updates on Penn State swimming and diving, follow the team on Instagram (@pennstateswimdive), Twitter (@PennStateSwim) and Facebook (Penn State Swimming & Diving).
