By Chelsea Howard, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With one final chance to compete against the best in the nation and end the season on a high note, seven Nittany Lion swimmers will head to Indianapolis, Ind. to compete in the 2013 NCAA Championships.

The dreaded wait for all of the conference meets across the nation to be over and finding out who will be invited to compete at NCAA's ended last Wednesday. The Nittany Lions found out that Nick Ankosko, Sean Grier, and Nate Savoy will all represent Penn State by swimming individual events. In order to qualify for the extremely competitive meet, the swimmers must swim to a certain time standard.

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. 

In addition to the three swimming individually, Shane Austin, John Hauser, Seth Wensel, and James Wilson will represent Penn State as relay swimmers.

Take a closer look below at what events each swimmer will swim this weekend in Indianapolis, Ind. and their seeds going into the meet.

Nick Ankosko
-500 Freestyle - 26^th
-800 Freestyle Relay

From East Brunswick, N.J., the sophomore has been a main contributor for the Nittany Lions in the distance freestyle events. Continuing to improve from last year, Ankosko made a statement at Big Tens in February after he broke a 12 year-old record in the 500 Freestyle and finished 8th. He can add that school record to the one's he already set in the 1,000 and 1,650 Freestyle events. He also finished 18^th in the 200 Freestyle and 10^th in the 1650 Freestyle. With his first NCAA Championships appearance just days away, Ankosko hopes to end another strong season with some of his best racing yet.

Sean Grier
-100 Butterfly - 7th
-100 Backstroke - 3rd
-200 Medley Relay
-400 Medley Relay
-200 Free Relay

Grier has been one to watch all season as he continued to perform above expectations. He will be a contender for a top three finish in his two individual events where he is the highest seeded Nittany Lion. He will prove to be a leader this NCAAs as a veteran who has been to the meet all three years he has been at Penn State. Grier will take on a tough schedule since he will compete in five events over three days. At Big Tens, Grier set two new school records in the 100 Butterfly and 100 Backstroke where he finished third and second adding crucial points to the team score. The junior from Hummelstown, Pa. was named Highmark Student-Athlete of the week several times throughout the season and was most recently named to the Second-Team All Big Ten after his performances in Bloomington, Ind.

Nate Savoy
- 100 Backstroke - 13^th
- 200 Backstroke -6th
- 200 Medley Relay
- 400 Medley Relay

Savoy was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year after an outstanding first season and continued to improve into his sophomore year. Coming from Reading, Pa., Savoy has been a huge contributor swimming the backstroke leg of the 200 and 400 Medley Relays all throughout the season. He swam to a 14^th finish in the 200 Individual Medley and fifth in the 100 Backstroke. In his best event, the 200 Backstroke, Savoy saw his highest placing with a third place finish and swam under the "A" cut time standard. Savoy looks to add to his experience competing at this level.

Shane Austin
-200 Medley Relay
-400 Medley Relay
-200 Freestyle Relay
-800 Freestyle Relay

Proven to be one of the key sprinters for Penn State throughout his career, Austin will compete in his second NCAA's swimming four relays. At Big Tens, the junior finished ninth in the 50 Freestyle, anchored the 200 Medley Relay to a fourth place finish, and was the third leg of the 800 Freestyle relay, which finished seventh.

John Hauser
-200 Freestyle Relay
-800 Freestyle Relay

Stepping up in the freestyle events, Hauser has made an immediate impact in his first season with the Nittany Lions. Transferring from Maryland, the junior finished 11^th in the 100 Freestyle, 18^th in the 500 Freestyle, and 15^th in the 200 Freestyle at Big Tens. Hauser led off the 800 Freestyle Relay and had the second fastest split with a flat start for Penn State.

Seth Wensel
-800 Freestyle Relay

Wensel came to Penn State his sophomore year after transferring from the University of Tennessee. In his second year as a Nittany Lion, he has helped in the middle distance events, including the 200 Freestyle, 200 Butterfly, and 500 Freestyle. This championship meet will mark the junior's first appearance at NCAA's.

James Wilson
-200 Medley Relay
-400 Medley Relay

From Nottingham, Pa., Wilson has been the Nittany Lion's top breaststroker throughout the whole season. At Big Tens, he was a part of the fourth place 200 Medley Relay and the 400 Medley Relay. Individually, he swam the 100 Breaststroke finishing 17^th and the 200 Breaststroke finishing 31^st. Wilson looks to be a part of a strong relay team in his first NCAA championship meet.


Competition starts Thursday, March 28 and continues through Saturday, March 30. Prelims begin at 11 a.m. and finals start at 7 p.m. each day. Follow the results and the final time the Nittany Lions compete for the 2013 season. The order of events for the NCAA Championship meet is listed below.

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
1650 Freestyle

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

By Chelsea Howard, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After a season of hard work and countless of hours practicing, Penn State's divers Megan Springsteen and TJ Schenkel competed at one of the highest level of meets this past weekend in the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships and closed out one of their best seasons yet.

The Nittany Lions traveled to Virginia Tech with the hopes of taking all of the skills they learned throughout the year and putting them to the test to perform their best dives of the season.  Both Springsteen and Schenkel made their first appearance at this level of competition this past weekend and enjoyed the opportunity.

"Being at the meet is an experience all in it's own," Springsteen said. "It's really amazing just to be there with everyone and to know that there was only a select group of people that qualified, and that you're one of them."

The Nittany Lions had the opportunity to compete against a total of 86 divers from 30 different schools for automatic qualifying spots at the NCAA Championships.

In order to qualify for this championship meet, the divers must reach a certain score in any dual or championship meet. There are two ways that the athletes can qualify. The first way is that the divers compete in six optional dives without a limit on the degree of difficulty. The second way is they can compete in one voluntary dive with an assigned degree of difficulty of 2.0 followed by five optional dives without a degree of difficulty.

The NCAA created five diving zones. The zone in which the divers compete depends solely on their location. Springsteen and Schenkel competed against all of the qualified divers in the Northeast. From there, those who scored near the top will then be selected to compete in the NCAA Championships. Zone A has six women's and five men's automatic spots for the upcoming championship meet in Indianapolis, Ind.

"Qualifying was a great feeling, especially since I did it in the beginning of the season," Springsteen said. "It was exciting and made the rest of the season a little less stressful."

Springsteen qualified after winning the event and earning a score of 268.42 on 1-meter against Villanova near the beginning of the season. She also won against Navy and placed second against Towson in the same event.  

"Qualifying is very exciting," Springsteen said. "It's nice to be able to see the hard work that I have put in throughout the season pay off and to be able to represent Penn State at the same time makes me proud."

Starting off the competition, Springsteen finished 30^th on the women's 3-meter board with a score of 213.45.  On the second day, she finished 42^nd on the 1-meter with a final score of 180.35.

"On the first day I did really well and was happy with my performance," Springsteen said. "The second day, a lot of things went wrong and I wasn't able to execute the dives the way I knew I could. I'm chalking it up as experience and motivation to train harder for next year."

Shenkel has been the top scorer for the Nittany Lions all year. He qualified for this championship meet against Villanova where he finished with two first-place scores. At this meet, he earned a score of 301.05 on the 1-meter board and 332.92 on the 3-meter board beating both of his personal records.

Shenkel competed in the same events as Springsteen in Blacksburg, Va. except in opposite order. He finished his season by placing 31^st on the 1-meter and 42^nd on the 3-meter.

"It means a lot to me that I qualified because it's what I've been working towards all year," Shenkel said. "Unfortunately, it wasn't my best performance this year, but that gives me another thing to work towards for next year."

Looking ahead to next season, Shenkel hopes to learn from the experience and use it to continue improving his career after he spent this season rewriting his personal records.

"For next year, my first goal is to re-qualify for Zones and then I'm just going to concentrate on improving all around and staying more consistent with my dives," Shenkel said.

Next on the schedule for Penn State, the women swimmers who have qualified for the 2013 NCAA Championships will travel to Indianapolis, Ind. to close out a strong season. Competition starts on March 21 and ends on March 23.

By Chelsea Howard, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With the opportunity to race in one of the fastest conference meets in the country, the Nittany Lion swimmers and divers took advantage of the atmosphere seeing their fastest races and best dives.

Although the men and the women train and compete together during the regular season, when it comes time for Big Tens, the men traveled to Bloomington, Ind. while the women went to Minneapolis, Minn. The men, who competed this past weekend, finished eighth in a conference known for its depth in every event.

Junior Sean Grier was not one to disappoint this championship season. He consistently put up top times all throughout the year and continued to do so in Bloomington. On Friday night, Grier took on the challenge of a tough racing schedule where he competed in two events fairly close together. During the finals session, he added a relay to his list of races making a statement in three events over just a couple of hours.

"The double on Friday was pretty tough with that relay at night," Grier said. "Three events in one session is a lot on the body, but I think having the experience under my belt now in my third year has a lot to do with being able to handle it. I practice doing it a lot throughout the season and the coaches did a really good job helping me know how to take care of my body in between the races."

Rewriting his own records set earlier this year, Grier continued to lower his marks in the 100 Butterfly and 100 Backstroke. Not only did he place third with a new team record, but he also set a new pool record in the morning in the 100 Butterfly. Moving even higher up, Grier placed second in the 100 Backstroke minutes later, breaking yet another school record.

"I was really happy with my performances of the day," Grier said. "Knowing you lowered some records is always a good feeling, plus I moved up a good amount in placing compared to last year. I was pretty happy knowing I was able to help the team out with some points."

Another key swimmer for the Nittany Lions was backstroke specialist Nate Savoy. He finished third in the 200 Backstroke barely missing the school record and he finished fifth in the 100 Backstroke, just a few tenths behind Grier. 

The week before the men competed, the women swam to a third place finish in the Big Ten conference. This marks the highest finish for the Nittany Lions since 2009.

Contributing to moving up in the rankings this year compared to their fifth-place finish last year were swimmers Paige Whitmire and Alyson Ackman who both brought home gold in one of their individual events.

Senior Paige Whitmire, who has competed in the 100 Freestyle at the Big Ten Championships for the past 4 years, reached her ultimate goal of winning an event. After finishing second in the 50 Freestyle on the second night, Whitmire was determined to make it to the top of the podium.

"My number one goal was to win the 50 and when that didn't happen I just had to use it as motivation to win another race instead," Whitmire said. "When I got third in the 100 Back it was even more motivation for my last chance in the 100 Free, then during the race I just kept thinking about how it felt getting second and third and how badly I wanted to win."

A career of hard work and reaching all of her goals came down to her last individual race. Whitmire was hesitant to look at the scoreboard immediately after her race, but when she did, she was in shock.

"When I hit the wall it took me a second to look at the clock because I was nervous I didn't win, but I heard the announcer say my name and that I had won so I looked and saw the 'one' next to my name and just couldn't believe it," Whitmire said. "The race was painful but worth it to have won my last individual race."

Few freshmen made as big of an impact for their respected teams as Alyson Ackman made for the Nittany Lions. Wasting no time, Ackman won the 500 Freestyle during her first Big Tens appearance and added 20 points to the overall score for the women. 

With a few weeks to recover and get back into training, the Nittany Lions who qualify will head out to NCAA Championships to finish out a program-changing season for Penn State. The NCAA Championships will start on March 21 for the women and March 28 for the men where the swimmers will race against the very best across the nation. 

By Chelsea Howard, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With just a few days left before the Nittany Lion men's swimmers and divers pack their bags and travel to Bloomington, Ind. for the 2013 Big Ten Championships, the athletes are ready to put their hard work and their past six months of training to the test.

Consistently ranked by the College Swimming Coaches Association throughout the course of the season, the Nittany Lions have climbed as high as 17^th in the nation. The rankings released on Feb. 20 show the swimmers and divers ranked 24^th. They have used this recognition as motivation throughout the season and as a confidence builder for the team as a whole.

"We've been more confident going into this Big Tens compared to last year because we had such a good season and have been in the rankings," Andrew Sideras said. "We have a lot of new people contributing this year, so the atmosphere is a lot more positive and we're all motivated to reach our goals."

Penn State added 11 new freshmen to the roster this year and they have all made a difference to the team atmosphere in their own way. As a young team, they will have to follow the lead of the upperclassmen to be successful in their first college championship meet.

"The freshmen have made a pretty big impact especially on the attitude of the team," captain Chris Cipolla said. "They're awesome guys that have made this whole year fun. They've worked hard all season and most of them have stepped up in dual meets. They're going to be the one's who have to step up in the spots that we need them to in order to make a difference in how we finish at Big Tens."

With two championship meets already behind him, Cipolla now understands what it's going to take to improve from their sixth place finish last year. Leading the way in the 200 Breastroke and 400 Individual Medley, Cipolla added points to the overall team score last year by getting into the scoring heats in prelims.

"The key is going to be swimming fast in the morning and getting it done then," Cipolla said. "Getting those top eight spots and stepping up in the morning is where the points come from. Other than that we'll just have to stay relaxed and keep doing what we've been doing with a positive mindset and go from there. We've worked really hard, it's just a matter of time before it pays off."

Of the newcomers, Will Lee has been a part of the class to help change the direction of the team. With his first Big Tens coming up, Lee has relied on the experience from the upperclassmen to help him prepare for the week of racing to come.

"The older guys just have more experience than us," Lee said. "They've been to Big Tens before and they've told us how everything works. They've also stressed that it doesn't matter how we feel during the meet physically, we can still have great swims."

One aspect that Lee has noticed this past week is a change in the team's frame of mind going into this meet compared to dual meets. This past week with the women away at their own Big Ten Conference meet, the men had a chance to get excited for fast swimming and bond even more.

"There's a whole different mentality going into this meet and over the past week compared to any dual meet," Lee said. "We've been hyped up for this meet throughout the whole year and it has been our focus since August. We just swim through dual meets, get our times and keep training. But this is much bigger. Everyone's excited and getting anxious to leave."

Sean Grier has been a standout performer all year rewriting several of the team records as well as McCoy Natatorium pool records. According to collegeswimming.com, Grier is currently ranked fourth in the nation in the 100 Backstroke and 13^th in the 100 Butterfly. He will be one to watch throughout the weekend as a huge contributor for the Nittany Lions.

Additionally, Grier has been a part of the 200 and 400 Medley relays along with James Wilson and Nate Savoy. These events will be crucial to the team since they add double points to the team score. The 400 Medley relay stands 14^th nationally while the 200 Medley relay is ranked 16^th. Ohio State and Michigan are the only Big Ten Schools ahead of Penn State.

Championship action for the men starts on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in Bloomington, Ind. Competition continues through Saturday night in the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center where the Nittany Lions look to end one of their best seasons yet on a high note. 

By Chelsea Howard, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With excitement running through every swimmer and diver, the Nittany Lions have the opportunity to exhibit all of the hard work they've put in over the past six months as they travel to Minneapolis Minn. to kick off the 2013 Big Ten Championships meet.

The Nittany Lions have fought their way up the rankings and have put together one of the best teams that Penn State has ever seen. Currently ranked 24^th in the nation according to the College Swimming Coaches Association of America, the swimmers and divers are eager to prove themselves in the Big Ten conference.

"The rankings just show us that we can do it," Gabi Shishkoff said. "We're already near the top so we just need to keep doing what we've been doing. It's made us really excited because we're not used to seeing that. We still feel like other teams are underestimating us but we find it really motivating to prove ourselves."

Going into the meet, the Nittany Lions are seeing their best rankings for each event on paper. The psych sheet, which shows a complete list of every event and the times that the swimmers have gone so far this season ranking from fastest to slowest, helps build the swimmers confidence. However captain Amy Modglin says it's important to keep in mind that the swimmers can't focus too much on it.

"It's definitely motivation to see your rankings," Modglin said. "But I'm a firm believer that a psych sheet is just a piece of paper and you can't get too caught up in it. You should definitely use it as motivation to see how well of a season you've had and how you're stacking up going into the meet, but it's just a piece of paper. The places we get at the meet are what's really going to matter."

Of the 18 swimming events at Big Tens, there is at least one swimmer in the top eight for 17 of those events. Opening the meet up on Wednesday night, the swimmers are seeded second in the 200 Medley Relay and first in the 800 Freestyle Relay. Throughout the rest of the meet, they are seeded third in the 200 Freestyle Relay, second in the 400 Medley Relay, and to close out the meet on Saturday, they are ranked first in the 400 Freestyle Relay.

Senior and captain Paige Whitmire has been a huge contributor to the team in the sprint events and relays over her four years and will compete on several of the relays during the Big Tens Championships. With a raised amount of pressure, Whitmire says reminding her how many times she has raced through out her career helps her handle what's coming her way.

"Relays score double points than any other event so they are extra important, especially since we don't have extra points from diving," Whitmire said. "We need to do the best we can in relays to get every point possible. Staying calm is something I'm still working on but just remembering I've done this a million times and that there's no reason I can't do it again. Also thinking about how cool it would be to win gets me more excited than nervous."

Shishkoff, who is ranked first in the 400 Individual Medley, fourth in the 200 Individual Medley, and seventh in the 200 Fly, has similar feelings as Whitmire on how to stay calm during one of the most nerve-racking meets that these swimmers experience. She also uses the coaches' advice to keep everything in perspective.

"Lately I've tried to tell myself that it's just a race and I've done it so many times before," Shishkoff said. "The coaches keep telling us this is the easy part and this is the fun part so I've been trying to take that to heart and just do what I know how to do."

Figuring out how to handle pressure and compete in the moment is a huge accomplishment, but one of the hardest skills to learn, especially as a freshman. The upperclassmen have given them advice on how to handle a championship atmosphere and have been impressed with how they have done so far this season. Modglin says she has been reminding the freshman it's just about racing.

"The freshman have been doing extremely well," Modglin said. "One of the things we've been telling them is it's not about how you feel - it's all about getting your hand on the wall first. I know how easy it is to get caught up in how you feel but that's the beauty of Big Tens. It's about getting out there and just racing other teams. It's like a big dual meet but you're rested and suited up."

Since Modglin's freshman year the team has drastically moved up in the rankings. They finished seventh in the Big Tens in 2010 and now she can say she has been part of building a team that could finish in the top three. She says a major difference between now and the past four years is the team dynamics.

"Every year is different because you have different groups of people with different personalities making the team dynamics different," Modglin said. "Being a senior now and seeing the team grow over the past four years, I can say this is the team that has the most promise for winning a championship. A lot of that comes from everyone stepping up and the freshman really buying into the program. I think if everyone is on the same page then we'll have a shot at being a championship team. I truly believe that everyone is and that everyone's working towards the same goals."

As a junior, Shishkoff has spent three years with these seniors and has been motivated by them sharing their past experiences.

"Obviously, a lot of them are big point scorers," Shishkoff said. "I think that their freshman year didn't go as well as they had hoped and that's made them really motivated to make sure that won't happen again. They've told us what needs to be different and pretty much everyone has listened."

With only a few days left until show time, the team's moral has been extremely high and mostly filled with excitement.

"It's been the best I've ever seen it of my four years of being on this team," Whitmire said. "Everyone's really excited and it's exciting to see everyone has the same goals and is on the same page. Everyone's pretty nervous but really psyched up and ready to be there."

Follow along with the results as the Nittany Lions begin their journey to close out one of their best seasons yet. Action begins at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday Feb. 20 at the University Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, Minn.  

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Watch several members of the Nittany Lion men's swimming team show off their dance moves at the THON 2013 Pep Rally.  The Lions took home the crowd as the champion with a creative dance that involved a swimming prop mid-routine.

THON 2013 raised a record $12.34 million in the fight against pediatric cancer.  Congratulations to the more than 700 dancers who stood for 46-straight hours over the weekend and to all those involved with the fundraising efforts.

Follow GoPSUsports.com's Tony Mancuso on Twitter @GoPSUTony

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Watch several members of the Nittany Lion women's swimming team show off their dance moves at the THON 2013 Pep Rally.

THON 2013 raised a record $12.34 million in the fight against pediatric cancer.  Congratulations to the more than 700 dancers who stood for 46-straight hours over the weekend and to all those involved with the fundraising efforts.

Follow GoPSUsports.com's Tony Mancuso on Twitter @GoPSUTony

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State Athletics was heavily involved with the 41st IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON) held at the Bryce Jordan Center this weekend.

More than 700 dancers began standing at 6 p.m. on Friday and did not sit down or sleep until Sunday at 4 p.m. to raise awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer in the largest student-run philanthropy in the world.

Since 1977, THON has partnered with The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital with one goal in mind: conquering childhood cancer.  THON went to new heights on Sunday when a record of more than $12.37 million was raised for 2013.  To date, more than $100 million has been raised by THON.

Several Penn State student-athletes spent 46 hours on their feet in the annual dance marathon.  Representing the Student Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) were Kristin Carpenter from the women's volleyball team and Annie Abdo from the field hockey squad.  Katlyn Elliott from women's golf and Marika Racibarskas from women's volleyball represented Penn State Hockey this weekend.

Additionally, Perry Hammershlag and Nicole Symeonides from the Lionetts squad and Paige McManus and Nicole Camporeale from Penn State cheerleading danced in THON.

Several teams and coaches played an active role in THON events throughout the weekend, in addition to squads participating in Saturday's annual pep rally and team dance competition.

We would also like to wish GoPSUsports.com student writers Matt Allibone and Kelsey Detweiler, along with Penn State Athletic Communications student assistant Angelis Lau the best of luck as they dance over the weekend, and the several student assistants actively involved with THON.

From start to finish, take a look through the updates from the involvement Penn State Athletics had in THON over the weekend on GoPSUsports.com. 

Friday Coverage:

4:45 p.m. - VIDEO: Pre-Dancing Interviews with Student-Athletes
Just over one hour from beginning the quest of spending 46-straight hours on their feet, we caught up with Marika Racibarskas from women's volleyball and Katlyn Elliott from women's golf for their final thoughts before the start of THON 2013. 

5 p.m. - VIDEO: Coach Chambers Addresses Crowd, Donates $14,200
Head coach Patrick Chambers pledged to donate $10 to THON 2013 for every student in attendance at Penn State's clash against Iowa on Thursday night in the Bryce Jordan Center.  On Friday evening, just before heading to the airport with the Nittany Lions for their trip to Michigan, Chambers addressed the crowd at THON and presented a check for $14,200.  Take a look.

Saturday Coverage:

8 a.m. - VIDEO: Hour 14 Interviews from Penn State Athletics Dancers
GoPSUsports.com caught up with women's volleyball student-athletes and 2013 dancers Marika Racibarskas and Kristin Carpenter just before 8 a.m. on Saturday morning for an update on how things were going 14 hours into the 46-hour dance marathon.  Additionally, we talked with GoPSUsports.com student writer and broadcaster Kelsey Detweiler, who is also dancing, for an update.  In addition to an interview, we asked all three what time they felt like it was.  Dancers are normally asked to avoid looking at the clock, and they rarely know what time it is.  Take a look at an hour 14 update from three Penn State Athletics representatives dancing in THON for the fight against pediatric cancer.

2 p.m. - VIDEO: Football Hosts THON Make-A-Wish Event
Seventy members of the Nittany Lion football team welcomed 28 THON Make-A-Wish children and their families to a special tour of the Lasch Football Building on Saturday afternoon.

The Make-A-Wish event is circled on the calendar for the Nittany Lions every year.  The THON families gathered inside the home of Penn State football to take photos, get autographs, tour the facility with the Nittany Lions, eat ice cream from the Penn State Creamery and take a photo in the locker room.

Head coach Bill O'Brien spoke to the group after it received the facility tour and signed autographs with the THON kids.  Take a look at the Make-A-Wish event at the Lasch Football Complex on Saturday.

Photo Gallery - THON Make-A-Wish

4:10 p.m. - PHOTO - Teams Participate in Athlete Hour
Student-athletes from across Penn State Athletics spent time with THON families and children inside the practice gym of the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday afternoon for Athlete Hour.

10:10 p.m. - VIDEO: Pep Rally Dance Competition Highlights
One of the THON highlights every year comes on Saturday night when the teams of Penn State Athletics hop on stage and compete in a dancing competition during the annual pep rally.  In all, 11 different teams competed in the 2013 version of the dance-off.

With resounding approval from a packed house in the Bryce Jordan Center, the Nittany Lion men's swimming team was named champion of the team dancing competition, largely thanks to its use of a prop pool to create a swimming scene mid-dance.  We have highlights of every team dancing on Saturday night at THON.  Take a look.

Photo Gallery - THON 2013 Pep Rally

Sunday Coverage:

12:55 p.m. - VIDEO: Coach O'Brien Addresses THON 2013
Head coach Bill O'Brien took the stage at THON on Sunday afternoon, urging the dancers to push through the "fourth quarter" of the 46-hour marathon.  O'Brien spoke before a capacity crowd inside the Bryce Jordan Center.  Take a look.

4:12 p.m. - VIDEO: THON 2013 Reveal - $12,374,034.46
THON 2013 reached new heights on Sunday afternoon when it was revealed that this year's efforts raised $12,374,034.46 for fight against pediatric cancer.  Watch a truly inspiring moment in front of a capacity crowd in the Bryce Jordan Center during the revealing of this year's total.  Congratulations to everyone involved in THON 2013.

Follow GoPSUsports.com's Tony Mancuso on Twitter @GoPSUTony

By Chelsea Howard, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - In a sport with predominately individual events, the impact that relays make at Big Tens becomes a crucial component that not only adds points to the overall swimming and diving team score but also creates an atmosphere that no other events can create.

Big Tens opens the championship meet season on Feb. 20 for the women and Feb. 27 for the men with the 200 Medley Relay and the 800 Freestyle Relay. Winning an individual event gives the team 20 points, however winning a relay gives them 40 points. With this doubled score, taking the top spot on the podium after a relay can be the difference in placing first out of all the Big Ten teams or coming in much further down the rankings.

Head coach John Hargis says that relays are extremely important because they are double the points, they help gain momentum, and they build the teams' confidence.  

"Especially at Big Tens when we do the two on the Wednesday night, it just sets the tone and sets the mood of the meet," Hargis said. "If we start off with two great relays that night fast swims are just going to come. The team walking in the next day is going to be walking in a little more confident. Double points in those five events are huge."

With only four spots on each of the five relays, competition between the swimmers is always high and goes on all through out the year. These events make swimming into more of a team sport where they rely on each other to perform their very best.   

"The kids want to be on these relays," Hargis said. "In our sport that is the pure definition of team. You've got your four best athletes up there depending on the relay. They're swimming for the 19 others on the side cheering them on. I think they take pride in that. It's a competition all year when they're fighting for that relay spot."

Making the decision of who goes on what relay is not an easy task. Hargis takes into account how the swimmers have trained, opinions from the other coaches, and how they have been competing throughout the weekend.

"I rely heavily on the assistant coaches to help me decide on who goes on what relay and we think about how they've trained up until that point," Hargis said. "The first night you haven't seen anyone swim yet but as the meet goes on you can see how certain swimmers are competing and make changes based on that. You always want to have the best 4 swimmers on the relays. I just have to be confident with whatever decision I make."

Last year at Big Tens, the Nittany Lions had a huge showing with the women where they tied for first in the 400 Freestyle Relay, won the 400 Medley Relay, and finished fourth in the 200 Medley Relay. The men finished high in the rankings as well in the 200 and 400 Medley Relay.

Junior Mackenzie Powers took part in the 200 and 400 Medley Relay at Big Tens last year swimming the 50 and 100 Butterfly legs. With her experience, she has learned that the first couple of relay events helps determine the mood and helps build confidence for the next few days.

"It was really exciting to be a part of the relays last year," Powers said. "We always talk about starting the meet off with a bang and relays help us do that. They also set the tone for the meet."

With doubled points on the line, the amount of pressure goes up for the swimmers. Junior Shane Austin uses that pressure as positive energy to do well in those events.

"Relays to me are more important than individual events because there are three other guys counting on you for that event as well as knowing it's double points at Big Tens," Austin said. "The added pressure for that really gets me going for those races and I feel faster on relays than individual events."

The swimmers who are relay contenders will spend the next week perfecting their take-offs and exchanges to ensure they are ready for the exciting events at Big Tens. The five relays provide an opportunity for the Nittany Lions to make their mark in the conference and gain points to raise their overall place throughout the weekend.