BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Penn State opened the Big Ten Championships in style on Wednesday by setting a new school record in the 200-meter medley relay with a time of 1:25.38, as well as posting three NCAA qualifying performances.
The Nittany Lions currently sit in sixth place overall.
The opening day of competition at the Big Tens can set the tone for the entire week, as the relay events prove to be the most exhilarating events of the championships.
The 200 medley relay squad of sophomore Nate Savoy, junior James Wilson, junior Sean Grier and junior Shane Austin posted a fourth-place finishing time to top the previous Penn State school record by .23 seconds. The record had previously been held by Savoy, Mitchell Scherer, Grier and Brian Alden, set atlast year’s Big Ten Championships. The season-best time is also the first NCAA ‘A’ cut for the Lions this season.
The NCAA-qualifying times continued for Penn State, with the Lions taking eighth in the 800 free relay. The time of 6:28.85 is a season-best for the squad of junior John Hauser, sophomore Nick Ankosko, Austin and junior Matt Salig and exceeded ‘B’ cut standards by .63 seconds.
Additionally, Hauser’s first leg split of 1:36.62 qualifies the junior for an NCAA B cut in the 200 free. It was Hauser’s personal best time in the event as a Nittany Lion.
