PRINCETON, N.J. – Penn State men's and women's swimming and diving kicked off the first day of the Big Al Invitational with top finishes as well as several NCAA B Standard achievers.
Both the men's and women's Penn State swimming and diving teams started off their weekend strong with a handful of top finishes at the Princeton Invitational. At the end of the first day the women's team is in 3rd place with 196.50 points and the men stand in 2nd place with 254 points.
Top Swims
The Nittany Lions took first place with a speedy race from junior Victor Baganha in the 50 free. Baganha posted a time of 19.26 to win it for Penn State. Sophomore Cooper Morley came in less than a second behind to get fourth place.
Senior Cat Stanford also placed in the 50 free taking second with a 22.77, and Penn State got another second place with sophomore Eduardo Cisternas in the 500 free. His finish was also good for a NCAA B Standard score.
The 200 IM also had an impressive showing from the Nittany Lions with freshman Toni Slavica and senior Abby Henderson just missing the top-three and placing fourth. Henderson's score of 1:59.02 qualified as a D1B.
Catherine Meisner also earned a NCAA qualifying D1B score in the 500 with her score of 4:47.18, good for a ninth-place finish in the finals.
Top Dives
Freshman Kevin Sullivan continued to show his strength by placing second in the men's 1 meter with a score of 307.30.
The freshman impact continued with, Kailey Koval placing fourth in the women's 3m scoring a 264.50.
Relays
The men's relays were impressive this evening with the 200 and 400 relays claiming first-place. The men's 200 free relay team of Cooper Morley, Victor Baganha, Mariano Lazzerini, and Tommy Hurley touched first with a time of 1:18.00. The men's 400 relay secured two top-three finished in first and third. The team of Morley, Lazzerini, Baganha, and Tylor Kim placed in first with a 3:08.67, and Lachlan Byrne, Ben Doyle, Caden Davis, and Hurley in third with a 3:11.96.
The women's 200 free relay team also was in the top-three with third place in that event for Marly Lough, Cat Stanford, Ellie Brandgergh, and Carly Sebring. The women's 400 medley also placed third with Brandbergh, captain Kylie Rydland, Sebring, and Stanford grabbing more points for the Lions.
The action continues in Princeton tomorrow morning at 10am.
For updates on Penn State swimming and diving, follow the team on Instagram (@pennstateswimdive), Twitter (@PennStateSwim) and Facebook (Penn State Swimming & Diving).
