UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Swimming and Diving teams defeated George Washington on Jan. 31 at McCoy Natatorium. The men’s team won by a score of 176-122, and the women’s team won by a score of 173-104.
The regular season ended on a positive note for the Nittany Lions, as the Saturday morning matchup marked the last dual meet of the season.
Matthew Bittner, Vicente Villanueva, and Margaret Markvardt all tallied multiple wins, helping bring the Nittany Lions to victory.
Men:
Top swims:
The Nittany Lions swept the podium in the 50 free. Jake Kennedy swam an impressive 20.08, good for first. Following closely behind was Mariano Lazzerini, trailing by just one one-hundredth of a second (20.09), followed by Rylan Anselm (20.56).
Matthew Bittner took first place in the 100 back with a 46.22. Fellow Nittany Lion, Cooper Morley, followed closely behind, grabbing second place with a 46.67. Morley finished first in the 200 back, posting a 1:46.15.
Bittner tallied his second win of the day in the 100 fly, swimming a 46.49.
In the 100 breast, Vicente Villanueva added to the win column, finishing first with a 54.02, while Toni Slavica touched second in the event with a 54.87. Villanueva continued his day with a win in the 200 breast, swimming a 1:58.92.
Tylor Kim stood atop the podium in the 100 free, earning first with a 43.68.
Relays:
Bittner, Villanueva, Morley and Kim touched first in the 200 medley relay with a 1:25.56 swim, while Anselm, Lazzerini, Toni Slavica and Kim took first in the 400 free relay with a 2:55.60 swim.
Diving:
Hayden Elliott took home first in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives, posting a 352.20 score in the 1-meter and a 322.58 score in the 3-meter. Alex Wodehouse followed with a second-place finish in the 3-meter dive, earning a score of 301.05.
Winners:
200 Medley Relay: Matthew Bittner, Vicente Villanueva, Cooper Morley, Tylor Kim – 1:25.56
100 Back: Matthew Bittner – 46.22
100 Breast: Vicente Villanueva – 54.02
50 Free: Jake Kennedy – 20.08
100 Free: Tylor Kim – 43.68
200 Back: Cooper Morley – 1:46.15
200 Breast: Vicente Villanueva – 1:58.92
100 Fly: Matthew Bittner – 46.49
400 Free Relay: Rylan Anselm, Mariano Lazzerini, Toni Slavica, Tylor Kim – 2:55.60
1-Meter Dive: Hayden Elliott – 352.20
3-Meter Dive: Hayden Elliott – 322.58
Women:
Top swims:
Catherine Meisner touched first in the 200 free, posting a 1:48, while Margaret Markvardt earned the win in the 100 back with a 53.82. Markvardt also grabbed a top finish in the 100 fly, posting a 53.69.
State College native Mackenzie Pagett grabbed a first-place finish of her own in the 100 breast, swimming a 1:04.60.
Julia Meisner’s 2:03.18 time in the 200 fly was good for first place, with Audrey Cohen following closely behind for second place with a 2:03.32. Meisner also grabbed first in the 400 IM, posting a 4:21.23. Cohen touched first in the 200 breast, swimming a 2:18.18.
Katie Ketter added to the win column, winning the 50 free with a 23.21. Cyrah Robinson followed, winning the 100 free with a 49.74.
Relays:
The women opened the competition, beginning with the 200-medley relay. Markvardt, Cohen, Robinson, and Ketter grabbed first with a 1:39.82.
The afternoon was capped with a win in the 400 free relay. The team of Markvardt, Catherine Meisner, Moore and Robinson posted a 3:22.55, good for first.
Diving:
Grace Brammer continued her dominance on the board, winning the 3-meter with a 310.73. Kailey Koval followed, grabbing second place on the 3-meter with a 285.68
Brammer also touched second in the 1-meter, scoring a 254.03.
Winners:
200 Medley Relay: Margaret Markvardt, Audrey Cohen, Cyrah Robinson, Katie Ketter – 1:39.82
200 Free: Catherine Meisner - 1:48.21
100 Back: Margaret Markvardt – 53.82
100 Breast: Mackenzie Pagett – 1:04.60
200 Fly: Julia Meisner – 2:03.18
50 Free: Katie Ketter – 23.21
100 Free: Cyrah Robinson – 49.74
200 Breast: Audrey Cohen – 2:18.18
100 Fly: Margaret Markvardt – 53.69
400 IM: Julia Meisner – 4:21.23
400 Free Relay: Margaret Markvardt, Catherine Meisner, Morgan Moore, Cyrah Robinson – 3:22.55
3 -Meter Dive: Grace Brammer – 310.73
For updates on Penn State Swimming and Diving throughout the season, follow the team on Instagram (pennstateswimdive) and X (PennStateSwim).