STATE COLLEGE, Pa, February 8, 2003 - The Penn State men's and women's swimming and diving teams split their dual meet with Pittsburgh Friday night at Trees Pool in Pittsburgh, Pa. The women's team swam past the Panthers, 159-84, while the men came up just short, 128-115.???

The women's team improved its dual meet record to 6-2 and is ranked No. 16 by the CSCAA, while the men are ranked No. 17 by the CSCAA and have a 4-3 record. The contest was the final dual meet of the season for Penn State.

The women earned an impressive victory on the road. The foursome of Sarah Haupt (Carlisle, Pa.), Courtney Stanchock (Bloomsburg, Pa.), Amberle Biedermann (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and Larissa Kavchok (Emmaus, Pa.) won the 400 Medley Relay with the time of 3:46.14. Freshman Patty Murphy (Medford, N.J.) took the crown in the 500 Freestyle with a time of 4:58.96. Diver Lisa Silvestri (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) came out on top for the Lions with wins in the one and three meter competition.??

On the men's side, freshman Dan Velez (Germantown, Md.) pulled through for the Lions with a win in the 200 Breaststroke with a time of 2:05.72. Junior Todd Minnier also came up strong for the Lions with a win in the 100 and 200 Freestyle with times of 44.40 and 1:38.53, respectively.

Head Coach Bill Dorenkott stated, "Pitt is always a well coached team. They raced very well and are no doubt ready for the Big East Championships. I felt our kids did a nice job of staying the course in their preparation for the Big Ten's. This is a great time of the year, one in which all your base training and discipline can really payoff."

Diving Coach Craig Brown added, "Our women divers did a great job on both the one and three meter. Our men had some strong moments but came up short down the stretch when we needed points to win the meet. However, I like the state we are in, in terms of being ready for the Big Ten's and NCAA Zone meet. We've had two very strong weeks of training."

The Penn State women's swimming and diving team returns to the pool on February 19 at the Big Ten Championships at Purdue. The men will be back on action on February 27 at the Big Ten Championships at Michigan.