UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa - Penn State welcomed the University of Pittsburgh Panthers in their home opener at McCoy Natatorium for a two day competition. These two teams faced off in each of their last two seasons, where these commonwealth rivals split an even 1-1 record. Eager to get the tiebreaker, the Nittany Lions battled through each event, but came up short with a final score of 248-105 in favor of Pittsburgh.
At the conclusion of day one, the women trailed the Panthers with a score of 120-47. Penn State only tallied one first place finish on the day, with one second place finish and five third place finishes. With work to do in session two, the Blue and White tallied one more win, but that was not enough to cut the deficit.
This marks the first win for newly appointed head coach, Hollie Bonewit-Cron, on home turf. Bonewit-Cron led the Blue and White to a victory in her first meet in the driver's seat with a sweep of Navy on the road.
“I love being a Nittany Lion,” emphasized Bonewit-Cron. “I’m super excited because we were able to be here in our own unique environment, one that includes such a strong fan base especially.”
Women
It was Morgan Mayhem at McCoy Natatorium, as Morgan Moore tallied her second first place finish of the competition in the 1000 Free. Moore swam a 10:14.67, closely trailed by teammate Morgan Jenny who touched second with a 10:17.53.
Stakes were high for the Nittany Lions in the 200 IM, as they posted a 2-3-4-5 finish. Senior Margaret Markvardt touched second with a 2:04.95, followed by a bronze swim from Abby Henderson with a 2:05.35. Julia Barto and Julia Meisner contributed to fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively.
Junior Catherine Meisner hustled big to earn a second place finish in the 200 Free, with a time of 1:50.04, only eight one-hundredths of a second behind the first place finisher. Abby Henderson trailed to add a fourth place finish, swimming for a time of 1:52.56.
Julia Meisner touched second in the 200 Fly with a 2:06.11 finish, trailed by Morgan Moore who touched third with a 2:06.27.
Margaret Markvardt touched third in the 100 Back with a 55.90 finish.
Relays
The 200 Medley relay consisting of Casey Loughlin, Mackenzie Pagett, Mac Sullivan and Nya Robinson gathered a third place finish with a time of 1:48.12.
The 400 Free relay battled to a second place finish, with competitors Catherine Meisner, Katie Ketter, Maura Fleuhr and Margaret Markvardt, finishing with a time of 3:25.15.
Diving
Penn State touched second and third in the one meter dive, with Abbey Ekstrom posting a 278.25 in second, and Grace Brammer with a 251.85 in third.
Top Swims
1000 Free: Morgan Moore (10:14.67)
Penn State will go on a two-week hiatus, before entering conference competition on the road against Ohio State on November 8th.
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