COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Penn State swimming and diving teams wrapped up the Ohio State Invitational on Friday, after four days of competition.
The men's team placed sixth, while the women's team finished eighth.
The week included two event wins, five program records and two relay teams qualifying for NCAA Championships.
Mariano Lazzerini earned wins in the 100 Breaststroke (50.96) and 200 Breaststroke (1:50.93), while setting program records in both.
The Nittany Lions set a program record in the 400 Medley Relay as the team of Cooper Morley, Lazzerini, Matthew Bittner and Tylor Kim posted a time of 3:04.13, while qualifying for the NCAA Championships. In the 200 Medley Relay, Bittner, Lazzerini, Morley and Kim recorded a 1:23.05, also securing a spot in the NCAA Championships.
The final day was highlighted by two new program records being set. Bittner broke his own record in the 200 IM twice on Friday, swimming a 1:43.61 in preliminaries and 1:43.55 in the finals, while Morley set a new program record in the 200 back, swimming a 1:40.18 in preliminaries.
Preliminaries
Cooper Morley set a program record in the preliminaries for the 200 Back. His final time was 1:40.18, good for second place and a spot in the A-finals.
Matthew Bittner finished second in preliminaries for the 200 IM, posting a 1:43.61 time, sending him to the A-finals and setting a new program record.
Tylor Kim swam a 43.22 in the 100 Free, putting him in the A-finals with a 10th place finish.
Margaret Markvardt had a 10th-place finish in the 200 IM, earning her spot in the A-final with a time of 2:01.02.
Finals
Bittner broke his own program record that he set earlier in preliminaries, placing third overall in the 200 IM A-final with a time of 1:43.55.
Morley finished in eighth in the 200 Back A-final, with a final time of 1:42.74.
Markvardt finished eighth in the A-final for the 200 IM, boasting a 1:59.69 time.
Kim finished ninth overall with a 43.14 swim in the 100 Free A-final.
Andrew Christensen and Jack Clancy competed alongside each other in the 200 Fly B-final. Christensen finished fifth (15th overall) with a time of 1:48.81, with Clancy right behind in sixth (16th overall), swimming a 1:49.38. Christensen also competed in the B-final for the 200 IM, finishing in sixth place (16th overall) with a time of 1:48.02.
Markvardt finished eighth in the A-final for the 200 IM, boasting a 1:59.69 time.
Diving
Grace Brammer claimed sixth in the women's 1-meter dive, securing a 285.25.
Hayden Elliott was PSU's top performer in the men's platform dive.
Day 1
The day was highlighted by the 200 Medley Relay team of Matthew Bittner, Mariano Lazzerini, Cooper Morley and Tylor Kim officially qualifying for the 2026 NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships, finishing second in the event, and boasting an impressive 1:23.05 time. This is the team’s best time this season, and it secures them a trip to Atlanta to compete at nationals on March 25-28.
The 800 Freestyle Relay team of Rylan Anselm, Kim, Toni Slavica and Eduardo Cisternas finished eighth in the event, swimming a collective, 6:24.85.
On the women’s side, The 200 Medley Relay team of Margaret Markvardt, Audrey Cohen, Cyrah Robinson and Katie Ketter swam for a combined 1:38.70, good for ninth place.
The 800 Freestyle Relay team of Catherine Meisner, Julia Barto, Morgan Moore and Julia Shafer swam a 7:12.51, also good for ninth place.
Day 2
Swimming
Lazzerini set a new program record for the 100 Breast, swimming a 50.96. His record-setting time was good for first place, the lone victory of the day for the Nittany Lions.
Bittner posted a 45.45 in the 100 Fly finals, good for fifth place. Morley followed closely behind, grabbing seventh place with a 45.62. Both Bittner and Morley recorded new personal bests for the event.
Markvardt touched 10th in the 100 Fly finals, with a 53.78.
Sophomore Julia Barto competed in the B-finals for the 400 IM, placing 10th in her heat with a 4:24.21 (20th overall).
Senior Andrew Christensen and freshman Ian Combs both competed in the 400 IM B-finals. Christensen earned sixth place (16th overall) with a 3:48.35, while Combs grabbed an eighth-place finish (18th overall) with a 3:51.56.
Senior Catherine Meisner swam a 1:46.71 in the 200 Free B-finals, good for second in her heat (12th overall).
Sophomore Ryan Anselm and senior Eduardo Cisternas battled in the 200 Free B-finals. Anselm grabbed fifth in the heat (15th overall) with a 1:35.76. Cisternas posted a 1:37.70, good for ninth (19th overall).
Sophomore Audrey Cohen swam a 1:01.91 in the 100 Breast B-finals, taking home fourth in her heat (13th overall).
The women's 200 Free Relay team of Markvardt, Katie Ketter, Cyrah Robinson, and Catherine Meisner touched tenth place with a 1:32.20.
The men followed in the 200 Free Relay, with Tylor Kim, Morley, Lazzerini, and Bittner posting a 1:17.26 to earn fifth place.
Diving
Brammer finished seventh in the women's 3-meter diving finals with a score of 302.45.
Senior Hayden Elliott scored a 301.65 in the B-finals of the men's 1-meter dive, good for 15th place.
Day 3
Swimming
Mariano Lazzerini set a new program record in the 200 Breast, posting a dominant 1:50.93 that was also good for first place in the event. This is Mariano’s second win of the week and second win overall for the Nittany Lions.
The 400 Medley Relay team of Cooper Morley, Lazzerini, Matthew Bittner and Tylor Kim set a new school record, swimming an impressive collective 3:04.13. The team has been on fire, previously qualifying for the NCAA Division l Championships on day one with their 200 medley relay performance.
Morley had a third-place finish in the 100 Back A-finals with a time of 45.37. Bittner also swam in the A-finals for the same event, placing seventh with a time of 45.96.
Audrey Cohen swam a 2:12.15 in the 200 Breast A-final, good for ninth place.
Eduardo Cisternas and Jack Clancy both competed in the 500 Free B-finals. Cisternas had a third-place finish (13th overall), swimming a 4:19.17. Clancy placed ninth (19th overall) with a 4:26.75.
Margaret Markvardt took seventh in the 100 Back B-finals (17th overall), swimming a 53.89.
Cyrah Robinson finished 10th in her heat in the 50 Free B-finals (20th overall) posting a 23.11.
Tylor Kim swam a 19.60 in the 50 Free B-finals, good for third in his heat and 13th overall.
The 400 Medley Relay team of Markvardt, Cohen, Robinson and Catherine Meisner finished 14th, with a time of 3:40.29.
Diving
Alex Wodehouse was the Nittany Lions' top performer in the men's 3-meter dive, posting a 297.30.
Charlize Beniquez was Penn State's highest finisher in the women's platform dive, placing 12th.
Up Next
Select Nittany Lions are set to travel to Austin, Texas, to compete in the Toyota U.S. Open from Dec. 3-6.
For updates on the Penn State swimming and diving team, follow the team social media pages on Instagram (pennstateswimdive) and X (pennstateswim)!