UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa - The Nittany Lions are back on the road for the last time as a team, to compete at the Big Ten championships at the University of Minnesota. Starting Wednesday, February 26, the Blue and White will compete across a four day span, concluding Saturday, March 1.
At their last conference championship, Penn State finished in seventh place, racking up 683 points. The team composed top five finishes in the 200 Free relay (4th), the 200 Medley relay (2nd) and the 400 Medley relay (3rd).
Junior Mariano Lazzerini had a historic weekend at last year’s Big Ten championship, finishing first in the 100 Breast to break a school record, swimming for a 51.08 and an A-Cut finish. He added a fifth place finish in the 200 Breast with a 1:52.94 and B-Cut finish.
Cooper Morley also earned career-best accolades at the Big Ten Championship in 2024, finishing second in the 100 Back finals with a 45.27, and seventh in the 200 Back with a 1:42.50, both for B-Cut times.
Morley and Lazzerini were both members of the 200 Medley relay team that went on to finish 16th at the NCAA championships and placed second at Big Tens in 2024.
This season, lots of new Nittany Lions have stepped into the limelight, and are expected to make major impacts: Rylan Anselm, Alex Karahalis, and Hayden Elliott.
Freshman Rylan Anselm has been a standout performer in the distance events this year, in the 500 and 1000 Free. Anselm and junior Eduardo Cisternas have battled for the first and second spots in these events all season.
Alex Karahalis cemented his name into the Penn State record books earlier this season, swimming for a new school record in the 200 IM at the Ohio State Invitational with a 1:44.60.
Junior Hayden Elliott has been a top-three finisher in each of Penn State’s dual meets this season. Elliott is the lead finisher for the Blue and White on the diving platform this season, and is anticipated to place highly at the conference level as well.
Events begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, February 26th, and conclude on Saturday night. Each day will have a preliminary and finals competition, and final team placements will be awarded after Saturday’s finals competition.
For live updates on the Nittany Lions’ top performers, tune into our social media @PennStateSwimDive on Instagram, and @PennStateSWIM on X!