EVANSTON, Ill - EVANSTON, Ill - The Nittany Lions kicked off the new year with a bang on the road in Chicago, downing the University of Chicago Maroons, and dropping a Big Ten matchup against Northwestern Wildcats.
“I was pleased with our efforts today as we were able to compete after coming off two weeks of winter training. Their execution in the water and on the boards helped us see our abilities and performances under these demanding circumstances. It is also forecasting what we envision to be a successful championship season,” said coach Hollie Bonewit-Cron.
Against the Maroons, the Nittany Lions posted a dominant 211.00 to 79.00 victory. Facing the Wildcats, Penn State dropped a 172.00-127.00 loss.
Top Swims:
Freshman Rylan Anselm tallied a strong start to the day with a second place finish in the 1000 Free, and a 9:15.81 finish.
Junior Eduardo Cisternas added the first individual event victory of the contest with a speedy 1:37.42 finish in the 200 Free.
Cisternas added another gold for the Nittany Lions in the 500 Free with a 4:26.54, and was quickly followed by Anselm who touched second with a 4:29.26.
2024 All American Cooper Morley posted a swift 46.54 time in the 100 Back, good for a second place finish on the day, followed by Matthew Bittner in fourth and Jack Harvey in fifth. Morley added another second place finish in the 100 Fly 47.39.
Senior Jack Harvey dominated the 100 Back, finishing first with a 48.81 time. Harvey added a fifth place finish with a 48.41.
Mariano Lazzerini and Filipe Pinheiro fought for first place in the 100 Breast, Lazzerini touching first with a 53.06, and Pinheiro taking silver with a 53.61. The breast duo dominated the 200 competition, Lazzerini adding another first place finish with a 1:55.63, closely followed by Pinheiro in third with a 1:59.05.
Tylor Kim finished second in the 100 Free with 43.17, followed by Toni Slavica in fifth with a 44.98.
Sean Honey touched third in the 200 Back with a 1:47.64.
Relays:
In a strong start to the day and year, the infamous 200 Medley relay consisting of Mariano Lazzerini, Cooper Morley, Matthew Bittner and Tylor Kim added another notch to their tally as they snuck out a win in 1:25.30.
Diving:
Hayden Elliott added a third place finish in the three meter competition with a 330.50. The junior added a second place finish in the one meter competition with a 323.00.
Winners:
200 Free: Eduardo Cisternas (1:37.32)
500 Free: Eduardo Cisternas (4:26.54)
200 Breast: Mariano Lazzerini (1:55.63)
100 Breast: Mariano Lazzerini (53.06)
100 Back: Jack Harvey (48.81)