MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men's swimming and diving team opened the 2019-20 season with a dual-meet loss to Penn State in University Park, Pennsylvania, on Friday.
 
The Nittany Lions topped the Mountaineers, 167-125, at McCoy Natatorium. WVU captured five total victories on the night, as freshman Hunter Armstrong led the way with two victories, one individual win and one relay win.
 
Junior David Dixon and sophomore Josh Harlan collected one individual win apiece, while junior Christopher O'Shea, senior Sam Neaveill and junior Ryen Van Wyk each grabbed a relay win. Sophomore diver Nick Cover also collected a victory on 3-meter springboard.
 
"We came out of the gate a bit sluggish, and that cost us early in the meet," head coach Vic Riggs said. "We refocused at the first break and swam really well from then on. It all started with the energy before the 100 freestyle and continued with Hunter's win. David's 100 butterfly win finished the second session with a pool-record time of 47.11. The divers also had another great day on the boards, which really helped the team points.
 
"We have discussed patience and swimming correctly, and we did that tonight. Although we lost the meet, we came away with many positives we can take moving forward. Winning the 400 freestyle relay showed the fight this group has, and I'm really proud of them for that."
 
Armstrong made his WVU debut Friday night and captured his first career victory in the 100-yard freestyle, followed by a relay win as a member of the 400-yard free relay team, along with O'Shea, Neaveill and Van Wyk. Dixon's win came in the 100 butterfly, before Harlan topped the field in the 200-yard individual medley.
 
On springboard, the Mountaineers captured the top two spots on 3-meter as Cover took first place with an NCAA zone-qualifying score of 335.03, followed by sophomore PJ Lenz in second with a score of 303.75. On 1-meter, Cover took second with a 277.20, while Lenz placed third and scored a 277.05.
 
"The divers did really well today," diving coach Michael Grapner said. "I'm pleased with this result for their first meet. Nick was very consistent on both boards today, and he achieved his zone score on 3-meter. With this being the first meet, it will set the standard moving ahead this season. I'm looking forward to what's to come for these guys."
 
Friday's meet opened with the 200-yard medley relay. The Mountaineer team comprised of junior Angelo Russo, sophomore Fausto Huerta, Dixon and Armstrong took second place with a time of 1:29.19.
 
The first individual event of the night saw a pair of freshmen record their first collegiate swims in the 1,000 free. Freshman Zach Boley touched the pad in 9:45.91, good for third place. He was followed by freshman Jonathan Bennett in fifth (9:56.04) and senior Brandon Christian in sixth (9:57.20).
 
Then, junior Max Gustafson finished fourth in the 200 free (1:42.37), followed by Russo's second-place finish in the 100 backstroke, notching a time of 50.02. WVU next recorded a pair of third-place finishes, first from Huerta in the 100 breaststroke in 57.26, before junior Denys Kostromin took third in the 200 butterfly (1:52.78).
 
Armstrong competed in his second event of the night, securing second place in the 50 free with a time of 20.36. He then captured WVU's first victory of the contest in the 100 free, touching the wall in 44.66. O'Shea followed Armstrong in third place with a 46.35 showing.
 
WVU's momentum continued into the 200 backstroke as senior Trayton Saladin took second in 1:50.06. The men then added a pair of fourth-place finishes, as senior Jack Portmann notched a time of 2:08.95 in the 200 breast, before Gustafson finished in 4:43.66 in the 500 free.
 
Next came three consecutive wins for WVU, the first from Dixon as he led the way in a WVU sweep of the 100 fly. Dixon finished in a pool-record time of 47.11, followed by Saladin (49.44), senior Jack Frazier (51.60) and freshman Conrad Molinaro (54.19) in his collegiate debut.
 
Harlan then grabbed the team's second-straight win in the 200 IM, leading a 1-2-3 Mountaineer finish. He tallied a time of 1:54.17, ahead of Dixon (1:55.78) and junior Phillip Kay (1:56.86).
 
The meet concluded with WVU's fifth victory of the evening in the 400 free relay. Armstrong, O'Shea, Van Wyk and Neaville took first with a 3:00.64 showing. In second place was another WVU team comprised of Gustafson, Russo, senior Matthew Marsh and Frazier, tallying a time of 3:07.38.
 
Friday's meet marked the first of the two-day competition between WVU and Penn State. The weekend concludes Saturday afternoon, as the women's teams take the pool beginning at noon ET.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUSwimDive on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.