Swimwomen's results vary

By LAWRENCE R.V. POTTER
Collegian Sports Writer

Perhaps it is only fitting that a Lady Lion swimming team made up of a mixture of swimmers from all four academic classes had mixed results at the NCAA championships over the weekend.

Some Lady Lions swam well enough to earn All-America status. Others swam well, but could not conquer their biggest foe -- the clock. For the second-straight year, Penn State finished 30th in the team standings. Big Ten foe Michigan finished a close second to Stanford.

On the positve side for Penn State, both the Lady Lions' 200- and 400-yard freestyle relay teams swam quick enough to earn honorable mention All-America status. But other Lady Lions weren't as fortunate.

Freshman Liz Rossi completed the 1,650 free in 16:32.79, which was good enough for 19th place -- three places away from honorable mention All-America status. Senior Deni Rudy, a member of both All-American relay teams, came close to another honorable mention when she finished 18th in the 100 free (54.59).

"It was a meet of close, but no cigars for us," Coach Bob Krimmel said. "It will not go down as one of our best NCAAs ever, and we're a little disappointed. But we're pleased that, for the first time in four years, we were able to place two relay teams in the top 16."

The highlight of the meet for the Lady Lions came when the same four swimmers were able to gain honorable mention All-America status in both the 200 and 400 free relays. Seniors Rudy and Sarah Duttera, sophomore Karen Van Tassel and freshman Carmen Kondra comprised the teams that earned places in Penn State swimming history.

Those accomplishments were extra special for Duttera, who returned to the NCAAs for the first time since her freshman year.

"I'm very happy with the results," Duttera said, fighting back tears. "I'm glad that I was able to end my career on such a positive note. I didn't think I would ever do anything like this when I came into the Penn State program -- my goal was just to make the travel team my first year."

Rudy's first goal as a Lady Lion swimmer was also not All-America status at NCAAs. On Thursday, Rudy earned Academic All-America status by swimming in one event at the championships and maintaining at least a 3.5 grade point average. She became the first Lady Lion to earn that honor four times.

"It means a lot to me," the Newark, Del., native said. "It's special because academics is my focus -- swimming is a passion -- but academics is the reason I'm in college. I feel fortunate that I was able to perform well both athletically and academically in my career."

While Rudy and Duttera swam their last races for Penn State, younger Lady Lions like Rossi and Kondra gained valuable experience from the championships. That will be beneficial in the future for the program and Krimmel, who struggled to find a reason for the mixed results this year.

"We're proud of them," he said of his swimmers. "They all did well and sometimes . . . you swim well and (not finishing closer to the top) happens for whatever reason. It happens in other sports, too -- like in basketball, one day your jump shot is falling and the next day it doesn't."