Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Military-West Level Black Knights
- January 31, 2025
- McCoy Natatorium, Penn State College, College Park, Pennsylvania
- Quick Course Yards (25 yards)
- Full Meet Outcomes (PDF)
- Staff Scores
- Males: Penn State 171.5 def. #24 Military 128.5
- Ladies: Penn State 171.5 def. Military 127.5
The Penn State Nittany Lions kicked off their last weekend of competitors with a co-ed twin meet in opposition to the Military-West Level Black Knights on Friday night.
Each the Penn State males’s and ladies’s groups earned their first twin meet wins of 2025 in opposition to Division I opponents after beforehand falling to Northwestern, Princeton, and Virginia Tech in spring competitors.
Males’s Recap
The Penn State males received 11 out 16 occasions on the day, together with wins in each relays. They opened the session with a slender three-tenths win of 1:25.30 within the 200 medley relay; and completed the day with a dominant 1:19.67 within the 200 free relay, 2.8 seconds forward of Military.
The Nittany Lions additionally led the best way within the distance freestyle occasions, most of which had been nice battles. Junior Eduardo Cisternas, a Chilean Olympian, received the 200 free in 1:35.93 and the five hundred free in 4:23.53. Within the 200, he used a 24.35 last 50 cut up to run down Military – West Level’s Thomas Hadji (1:36.08) and knock a second-and-a-half off his lifetime finest.
The five hundred was a less-competitive race for Cisternas: he received by five-and-a-half seconds, which was a season finest.
Rylan Anselm received the 1000 free in one other nailbiter, touching in 9:09.21, six-tenths higher than Military’s Brice Barrieault (9:09.87). That was a private finest by Anselm by nearly three seconds. The 4 finest instances of his profession have all been accomplished this season.
Military’s Johnny Crush, continued his electrical freshman season for Military-West Level, successful two extra occasions. He received the 100 again in 46.12 and the 200 again in 1:44.02. He stays undefeated within the 100 backstroke in any respect meets throughout this faculty season.
He misplaced his third particular person occasion of the day, although, to his teammate Alex Edwards within the 200 IM. Edwards received in 1:47.65, whereas Crush completed 2nd in 1:49.32. One other Black Knight swimmer, Kalvin Hahn, positioned third in 1:49.51, scoring most factors within the occasion.
Among the many prime nice battles within the meet was the 100 breaststroke, the place a pair of defending convention champions battled: Military junior Kohen Rankin out-touched Penn State junior Mariano Lazzerini 52.89 to 52.98. Kohen received the Patriot League title on this occasion final season and have become Military’s first NCAA Championship qualifier since 1987, whereas Lazzerini received the Massive Ten title final season.
On Friday, Lazzerini received the 200 breaststroke in 1:55.42 – a extra snug win over Hahn’s 1:57.15.
Different Highlights:
- Alex Karahalis from Penn State received the 200 fly in 1:44.85 – one other essential last-50 battle. That’s inside three tenths of his lifetime finest from the mid-season Ohio State Invitational and is 1.3 seconds higher than he was in his freshman season final 12 months. Karahalis has been among the many largest beneficiaries of the brand new teaching workers for Penn State this season.
- Military’s Owen Harlow received the 50 free in 20.22.
- Penn State’s Hayden Elliott swept the diving occasions.
Ladies’s Recap
The Penn State ladies nearly matched their teammates, successful 10 out of 16 occasions within the meet. That included an enormous effort from junior Catherine Meisner, who went three-for-three in particular person occasions within the meet.
She received the 100 free (49.85), the 200 free in a season finest (1:46.10), and the 200 IM in a lifetime finest of two:00.83. The 200 IM isn’t a race she swam a ton of so far in her school profession, however she has raced it in all three of the crew’s spring semester twin meets this 12 months.
The 2 sides cut up the relays; Penn State received the opening 200 medley in 1:39.98 nearly two seconds forward of Military’s “A”. Whereas Angie McKane of Military acquired the early lead with a 25.42 backstroke cut up, Penn State dominated each different leg.
The successful time for the Nittany Lions was solely .17 seconds shy of their season-best time from the Ohio State Invite. That was due partly to good splits from freshman Audrey Cohen (28.08 – breaststroke) and anchor Maura Fluehr (22.70 – freestyle); and partly resulting from a vital lineup change: Margaret Markvardt shifted from backstroke to butterfly and cut up 23.11; Maura Fluehr moved from fly to free, changing Meisner; and Ellie Brandbergh jumped onto the backstroke leg.
Within the closing 200 free relay, Military-WP received in 1:32.40 forward of Penn State’s 1:32.59 – likewise very-nearly hitting a season finest. The crew of McKane (23.54), Clara Williams (23.12), Meghan Cole (23.03), and Molly Weber (22.71) had been simply .35 seconds shy of the time the crew swam per week in the past in opposition to Loyola.
Markvardt not solely had an excellent medley relay cut up, the fifth 12 months additionally flexed her versatility by successful the 100 breaststroke in a brand new lifetime better of 1:01.38 and the 100 fly in 52.64.
She completed her day with a 22.17-second cut up on Penn State’s runner-up 200 free relay.
Molly Webber hit two season-bests for Military-WP. She was 2nd within the 100 free in 50.11, 2nd within the 200 free in a season better of 1:47.25, and received the five hundred free in 4:50.19.
Different Highlights:
- Penn State swept the diving occasions, although from two totally different divers. Grace Brammer received on 1-meter whereas Abigail Ekstrom received 3-meter; on 3-meter, Ekstrom led a 1-2-3-4-5 end for the Nittany Lions that helped cement the crew’s win.