UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Mar. 16, 2004) - The Penn State women's swimming and diving team will shoot for its best finish ever when it starts competition at the Women's NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships Thursday at the Student Rec Center Natatorium in College Station, Texas.

The championships will begin at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. CST Thursday, Friday and Saturday on the campus of Texas A&M.

The Nittany Lions finished 8-1 during the 2003-04 dual meet season and took second at the Big Ten Championships behind five champions (two relay and three individual). Penn State's best finish at the NCAA Championships, which have been held since 1983, was 11th in 2001 when it posted a school-best total of 100 points with eight student-athletes competing.

Seven-time Big Ten Champion Amberle Biedermann (Colorado Springs, Colo.) leads a group of 12 Penn State student-athletes making the trip to Texas, including six returnees from last year.

Biedermann, senior Sally Anderson (Somerset, N.J.), junior Deirdre Dlugonski (Washington, Pa.), sophomore Sarah Haupt (Carlisle, Pa.), sophomore diver Lisa Silvestri (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) and junior Courtney Stanchock (Bloomsburg, Pa.) all made the trip last year and will participate again this year.

Senior Kristen Woodring (Sinking Spring, Pa.), who took the 2002-03 season off, and senior diver Maggie O'Brien (Minnetonka, Minn.) are also making return trips to the championships. Woodring was a qualifier in 2001 and 2002, while O'Brien qualified in 2002.

Four other Penn Staters will be making their first career appearances at the NCAA Championships. Freshmen Margy Keefe (Cincinnati, Ohio), Erin Morris (Ft. Wayne, Ind.) and Megan Palera (Santa Maria, Calif.) all qualified. Junior diver Alison Riccobono (Ypsilanti, Mich.) rounds out the three divers Penn State will send to Texas, marking the first time Penn State women's diving has ever sent three female divers to the NCAAs.

For more information on Penn State women's swimming and diving, please visit our official athletics website at www.GoPSUsports.com.

Penn State Student-Athletes Competing
at 2004 Women's NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships
(Events they will be competing in are in parentheses)
Sally Anderson (500 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle and 1650 Freestyle)
Amberle Biedermann (100 Butterfly, 200 Butterfly, 200 Medley Relay and 400 Medley Relay)
Dee Dlugonski (50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, 200 Medley Relay and 400 Medley Relay)
Sarah Haupt (100 Backstroke, 200 Backstroke, 200 Medley Relay and 400 Medley Relay)
Margy Keefe (500 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle and 1650 Freestyle)
Erin Morris (200 IM, 100 Backstroke and 200 Backstroke)
Megan Palera (500 Freestyle, 400 IM and 1650 Freestyle)
Courtney Stanchock (200 IM, 100 Breaststroke and 200 Breaststroke)
Kristen Woodring (100 Breaststroke, 200 Breaststroke, 200 Medley Relay and 400 Medley Relay)
Divers: Maggie O'Brien, Alison Riccobono and Lisa Silvestri