Swimming Welcomes Penn State
October 22, 2014 10:18 AM | General
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| Riggs |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University swimming and diving teams return to the pool to welcome Penn State to the WVU Natatorium on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 5 p.m.
“Penn State has two very strong teams, and it is always a great meet for us to challenge ourselves against them to see how we respond to strong competition,” said coach Vic Riggs. “We will have an added challenge due to that fact that we will be missing some of our strongest swimmers with illness and injury.”
The Mountaineers opened their season with a sweep at the West Virginia State Games from Oct. 10-11. The men’s and women’s squads each placed first overall, marking the fourth straight year WVU swept the event.
West Virginia’s last defeat of Penn State came during the 2010-11 season. The Nittany Lions’ women’s team sports a 4-0 record to start the year, while the men are off to a 2-1 start.
“We will be doing two different formats for each team with the women’s team racing the 100 stroke events and the men the 200 stroke events,” Riggs said. “We will have to try and overcome the missing athletes in our relays and sprint events to stay competitive, but I see this as an opportunity for others to step up and fill these voids. Having a strong performance from our divers will be key to keeping the meet close.”
Senior diver Haily VandePoel had a strong performance at the West Virginia State Games to begin the season, sweeping the 1- and 3-meter events.
On the men’s side freshman Mike Proietto swept the men’s diving events, and junior Andrew Marsh claimed first place in five individual events.
“We have been training very well and look for the team to stick to our race strategies and plans,” Riggs said. “PSU should bring the best out of us and will look to our team to answer to these challenges.”
The action will get underway at 5 p.m. on Thursday, and the event features free admission.
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