Basil Kaaki |
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2009 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIER • 2008-09 ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN • 2007-08 ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN
LION CAREER
2008-09 (Junior): Had a breakout season qualifying for NCAAs in three events (200 free relay, 200 medley relay, 400 free relay)...Posted career bests in 50 free (20.119 at Big Tens), 100 free (44.70 at OSU Invite), 200 free (1:38.33 at OSU Invite)...Member of record-breaking 200 freestyle relay squad...Won 100 butterfly vs. Maryland/Pitt/Villanova (49.96)...Member of two-time winning 200 free relay squad (Last Chance in 1:17.83; vs. Maryland/Pitt/Villanova 1:22.30)...Member of winning 200 medley relay (vs. West Virginia in (1:34.76) and 400 medley relay (3:21.88)...Finished second four times in 100 freestyle at Texas A&M(45.88), West Virginia (45.83), Maryland/Pitt/Villanova (45.76) and Virginia/Florida State (45.70)...Best 100 free time came at the OSU Invitational, clocking a 44.70 (career best) for fifth...Finished 19th at Big Tens in 50 free style in a time of 20.19, a personal best...Finished eighth at OSU Invitational in a personal best time of 1:38.33...200 free relay squad finished 13th at NCAAs...400 free relay squad notched 21st at NCAAs...200 medley team was 19th at NCAAs.
2007-08 (Sophomore): Continued to excel as a sprinter in the freestyle and butterfly...Earned points in the Big Ten Championships with a 15th place finish in the 100 butterfly and a seventh place finish in the 200 freestyle relay...Collected his first medalist finish in the 100 butterfly this season at the quad meet with Pitt/Maryland/Mizzou/Villanova...Earned four first-place finishes in the 200 free, three in the 400 free, one in the 200 medley and three in the 400 medley relays...Was on the winning 400 IM relay team at the West Virginia Dual Meet...Was on the winning 200 medley relay team and 400 freestyle relay team, placed third in the 100 butterfly, finished third in the 100 free at the quad meet...Finished sixth in the 50 free, finished second in the 200 medley relay, placed second in the 200 free and
400 medley relay, won the 400 freestyle relay, finished sixth in the 100 butterfly and fourth in the 100 free at the Hoosierland Open Invitational...Placed fourth in the 50 free, finished second in the 100 butterfly, won the 200 free relay with an NCAA `B' time at the Princeton Big A1 Invitational.
2006-07 (Freshman): Main events were the 50 and 100 freestyle and the 100 butterfly...Swam his best times of the year in all three of those events at Big Ten Championships...Best finish at Big Tens was 17th, just one spot out of the points, in the 100 fly...On the year, had four first place finishes, four second-place finishes and four thirds...Had the fifth-best time on the team in the 50 free and the second-best time in the 100 fly...Placed fifth in the 100 free and was a part of the fourth place 400 free relay team and the third place 400 medley relay team at the season-opening dual meet at West Virginia...Finished eighth in the 100 fly and was on the sixth place 200 free, seventh place 400 free, eight place 200 medley and third place 400 medley relay teams...Came in eighth in the 100 fly and was on the second place 200 free, the fifth place 400 free and the sixth place 200 and 400 medley relay teams at the Purdue Duals...Picked up points for the Nittany Lions in the 50 free (13th place) and as part of the 400 free (second place) and 400 medley (seventh place) relay teams and also swam in the 100 free, 200 free and 100 fly at the Bell Grand Prix...Won his first career race in the 50 free and also was on the second place 200 medley relay team at the dual meet vs. West Chester...Won the 200 fly in his only swim of the year in that event and also was on the first place 200 medley relay team in the dual meet vs. Rutgers...Swam his fastest time of the year and placed third in the 50 free, finished seventh in the 100 free, sixth in the 100 fly and was on the second place 200 free, the winning 400 free, the third place 800 free, the fifth place 200 medley and the seventh-place 400 medley relay teams at the Shamrock Invitational...Finished 17th in the 100 fly, 21st in the 50 free and 19th in the 100 free at Big Ten Championships.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pa., named MVP of the Easterns and the Most Outstanding Swimmer in both junior and senior seasons...Earned four varsity letters and was also a team captain for two years...Participated in track and field and volleyball...Qualified for the World Swimming Championships and competed in three different countries and lists that experience as biggest thrill of high school competition.
PERSONAL
Basil Zouhair Kaaki was born on January 16, 1988 in Saudi Arabia...Son of Zouhair and Zahra Kaaki...Has an older brother, Abed, who is on the swim team at Connecticut, and a younger brother, Tareq...Science major with career aspirations of becoming a dentist.
ON CHOOSING PENN STATE
"The people and the swimming team are great, and it's a great place to pursue dental school."
