By Chelsea Howard, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After an excellent Big Ten showing during the championships in February, the women's swim team came back to McCoy Natatorium and anxiously awaited the preliminary psych sheet to see who made the NCAA Championships.

When the list finally came out, the Nittany Lions could say they reached yet another goal they had set from the beginning of the season. Over the past five years, since John Hargis became the head coach, the number of swimmers who have made NCAA's has gone up each season. This year, they will take 13 swimmers to the highly-competitive meet that is extremely difficult to qualify for.

"It's so different this year because half the team will be going and it's exciting knowing that so many of the girls will be there supporting you at the fastest meet of the year," Chelsea Weedman said. "Sending so many girls almost makes NCAA's feel like more of a 'team' oriented meet compared to past years."

The NCAA releases time standards at the beginning of each year with "A" and "B" cuts. If the swimmer goes equal to or faster than the "A" cut, then they will automatically have a spot to compete in the NCAA Championships.  However, if the swimmer goes a "B" cut, they are not guaranteed to make it into the meet. Swimmers with "B" cuts must wait until all of the conference meets across the country are over to see if they will be invited to the meet based on how they rank compared to others in the event. 

The 13 swimmers making the trip to Indianapolis, Ind. include: Alyson Ackman, Merritt Krawczyk, Amy Modglin, Mackenzie Powers, Melissa Rodriguez, Gabrielle Shishkoff, Megan Siverling, Chelsea Weedman, and Paige Whitmire will all be competing individually. Carolyn Fittin, Kaitlin Jones, Caitlyn Karr, and Katelyn Miller will represent Penn State as relay swimmers in the competition.

Here's a closer look at each of the swimmers and their seed in the events they will race in this weekend.

Alyson Ackman
- 500 Freestyle - 30^th
- 200 Freestyle - 13^th
- 100 Freestyle - 31^st
- 200 Freestyle Relay
- 800 Freestyle Relay

Ackman has made a name for herself this year as a freshman coming from Quebec, Canada. She was a huge contributor during her first appearance at the Big Ten Championships where she won the 200 Freestyle swimming to a "B" cut and was less than a second off of the "A" cut. She finished ninth in the 500 Freestyle. Ackman was also part of the 800 Freestyle Relay that finished fourth and helped Penn State get second in the 200 Freestyle relay. She earned First Team All Big Ten honors after placing so well in Minnesota.


Merritt Krawczyk
- 200 Individual Medley - 17^th
- 100 Breaststroke - 45^th
- 200 Butterfly - 43^rd
- 200 Medley Relay
- 400 Medley Relay

Krawczyk looks to end her swimming career on a high note this weekend. The senior from Kingwood, Texas currently holds school records in the 200, Individual Medley and the 100 Breaststroke. At Big Tens, Krawczyk swam the breaststroke leg of the fifth place 200 Medley Relay and fourth place 400 Medley Relay. She finished second in the 200 Individual Medley where she lowered her school record and swam to a seventh-place finish in the 100 Breaststroke. This will be the third time Krawczyk's qualified for the NCAA Championship meet.


Amy Modglin
- 200 Individual Medley - 73^rd
- 400 Individual Medley - 44^th
- 200 Backstroke - 35^th

Competing in her third NCAA championships, Modglin was the only person to qualify for NCAAs her freshman year and has helped lead the team as a captain for the past two seasons. The Fort Myers, Fla. native holds the school record in the 200 Backstroke. Modglin swam to a 20^th-place finish in the 200 Individual Medley, eighth in the 400 Individual Medley, and fourth in the 200 Backstroke at Big Tens collecting crucial points for the Nittany Lions. This meet will close out an outstanding career for the senior.


Mackenzie Powers
- 100 Butterfly - 34^th
- 100 Backstroke - 50^th
- 200 Medley Relay
- 400 Medley Relay

Powers competed at the NCAA Championships her freshman and sophomore seasons. Powers set a school record in the 100 Butterfly last year at the Big Ten Championships. The junior from Sycamore, Ill. has played a huge role in helping the Nittany Lions score points in the Backstroke and Butterfly events, Powers swam the backstroke leg of the 200 Medley Relay at Big Tens and the Butterfly leg of the 400 Medley Relay. Individually, she finished fourth in the 100 Butterfly and 15^th in the 100 Backstroke at Big Tens.


Melissa Rodriguez
- 200 Individual Medley - 74^th
- 100 Breaststroke - 46^th
- 200 Breaststroke - 28^th

Rodriguez will make her first appearance at the NCAA Championships, competing in three events individually. Although Rodriguez just joined Penn State in January, she has already made a huge impact on the team. The freshman from Chihuahua, Mexico didn't waste any time scoring for the Nittany Lions. Stepping up at Big Tens, she finished 22^nd in the 200 Individual Medley, sixth in the 100 Breaststroke and the 200 Breaststroke.


Gabrielle Shishkoff
- 200 Individual Medley - 55^th
- 400 Individual Medley - 19^th
- 200 Butterfly - 46^th
- 800 Freestyle Relay

Shishkoff was a standout performer all throughout the year, adding points to the scoreboard during both the dual meet season and the championship season. She lowered her time in the 400 Individual Medley in December and she finished fifth at Big Tens in this event. The junior also swam to a 15^th-place finish in the 200 Individual Medley and 11^th place in the 200 Butterfly.  Shishkoff anchored the 800 Freestyle Relay that moved up the rankings drastically from last year. This weekend will mark Shishkoff's first opportunity to race in the NCAA Championships.


Megan Siverling
- 500 Freestyle - 31^st
- 1650 Freestyle - 41^st

The sophomore from Chester Springs, Pa. continued to lower her best times every time she stepped up to the blocks. This year, Siverling lowered her 500 Freestyle time by seven seconds and her 1650 Freestyle time by 13 seconds. Her contributions at Big Tens helped out the team as she jumped up the rankings to a sixth-place finish in the 500 Freestyle and a seventh-place finish in the 1650 Freestyle.


Chelsea Weedman
- 200 Individual Medley - 23^rd
- 400 Individual Medley - 40^th
- 200 Butterfly - 38^th

Weedman competed in the same events at NCAAs during her freshman and sophomore seasons. Making her third appearance, Weedman will use being a veteran to her advantage to perform her best and continue improving. The junior from Poway, Calif. had a strong showing at Big Tens, making it into the "A" final in all three of her events. She placed third in the 200 Individual Medley, sixth in the 400 Individual Medley, and fifth in the 200 Butterfly.  


Paige Whitmire
- 50 Freestyle - 17^th
- 100 Backstroke - 15^th
- 100 Freestyle - 20^th
- 200 Medley Relay
- 200 Freestyle Relay
- 400 Medley Relay
- 400 Freestyle Relay

Whitmire proved herself as one of the best sprinters in the country during the Big Ten Championships. Swimming in her third NCAA Championships, the senior from Lederach, Pa. has helped lead the team in all aspects as she was chosen to be a captain this year. She stepped up in all of her events at Big Tens and was a key relay swimmer all season long. At Big Tens, she placed second in the 50 Freestyle, third in the 100 Backstroke, and was named Big Ten champion in the 100 Freestyle. Whitmire also swam on four relays giving her one of the toughest racing schedules. She received First Team All Big Ten honors after her performances in Minnesota.


Carolyn Fittin
- 200 Medley Relay
- 200 Freestyle Relay
- 400 Freestyle Relay

Specializing in several of the sprint events, Fittin has already left an impact on the team in her first season. She transferred from the University of Maryland and immediately helped the relays succeed. She was a part of the 200 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay, and the 400 Freestyle Relay, which earned an "A" cut.


Kaitlin Jones
- 800 Freestyle Relay

Jones will compete for the first time at NCAAs as a member of the 800 Freestyle Relay. The freshman from Midlothian, Va. helped the relay, which finished in seventh last year, move up to a fourth-place finish this year.


Caitlyn Karr
- 800 Freestyle Relay

A sophomore from Reading, Pa. Karr qualified for NCAAs for the first time as a part of the 800 Freestyle Relay. She has specialized in freestyle events all year, particularly the 200 Freestyle and 500 Freestyle. Karr swam the third leg of this relay at Big Tens and had the second-fastest split out of the Nittany Lions.


Katelyn Miller
- 200 Freestyle Relay

Miller swam the third leg of the 200 Freestyle Relay at Big Tens where the Nittany Lions finished second. Her split of 22.26 was among the fastest in the Big Ten conference. The sophomore from Hershey, Pa. looks to open her NCAA debut by helping her other teammates in this event.

Prelims start at 11 a.m. and finals begin at 7 p.m. each day. Follow the results as the Nittany Lions start competing Thursday, March 21 in Indianapolis, Ind. Below is the order of events for the 2013 NCAA Championship meet.

Thursday
200 Freestyle Relay
500 Freestyle
200 Individual Medley
50 Freestyle
400 Medley Relay
One-meter Diving

Friday
200 Medley Relay
400 Individual Medley
100 Butterfly
200 Freestyle
100 Breaststroke
100 Backstroke
Three-meter Diving
800 Freestyle Relay

Saturday
200 Backstroke
100 Freestyle
200 Breaststroke
200 Butterfly
Platform Diving
400 Freestyle Relay