Penn State men's and women's swimming and diving head coach Bill Dorenkott stressed the importance of the dual meet against West Chester prior to the meeting between the two schools.
As the Nittany Lions prepared for their only meet in December, Dorenkott knew that the results of this weekend's match would have a huge impact on the rest of the season and that his swimmers would have to step up their game.
Step up they did.
The Lions swept West Chester on Saturday, with the men and women both claiming victories. The men were led by senior captain Dan Kaiserian, winning, 147-91, while the women also took home the win with a 152-83 score.
"This was a great win by both of our squads," Dorenkott said. "This will give us a lot of momentum toward our next event."
The Golden Rams surrendered almost every heat to the Lions, claiming only 6-of-26 between both squads.
The men came out strong in the first few races. Freshman Basil Kaaki took first in the 50-meter freestyle, while freshman Brian Spittler claimed his first top finish of the year with a 1:55.15 time in the 200-meter individual medley.
Success continued for the Lions as the 200-meter relay team of Kaiserian, junior Kyle Miranda, and sophomores Tim Williams and Pat Schirk captured first with a time of 1:33.19, the second fastest time in that event all season.
The men's best event was the 1000-meter freestyle, where they took first through third place with freshman Colin Quirk, sophomore Ryan DeWeese, and freshman Max Ettore all securing top spots for the Lions.
"I'm not sure if it was us being at home, but something clicked," Dorenkott said. "We were swimming with a great level of energy and enthusiasm."
Not to be outdone by the men, the women were just as impressive. The meet was highlighted by sophomore Kelly Nelson's performance in the 500-meter freestyle. Nelson captured a 4:52.86 first-place finish, which was also good enough to earn a NCAA 'B' provisional qualifying score.
The women had a number of other first-place finishes, including freshman Kailey Morris, who took first in the 1000-meter freestyle, and senior Claire Hawley who won her heat in the 200-meter freestyle. Like the men, the women were able to take the top three finishes in one heat, as Nelson, sophomore Karie Haglund, and freshman Lyndsey Smith finished first, second, and third respectively.
While the Lion's swimmers were gathering most of the attention during the match, the Penn State divers were making just as much noise. Senior Mike Alderman won both the one-meter and three-meter springboard events. Sophomore Josh Myers was close behind, taking a second-place finish in the one-meter springboard, and a third-place finish in the three-meter.
Senior Kymberlee Peifer was able to capture first in the one-meter springboard for the women, while sophomore Courtney Adlam claimed first in the three-meter event.
"I was very pleased with our performances," Dorenkott said. "This will give us plenty to look back on, and know that we have to get ready for our next event."
The Lions won't see action for the rest of December but will be back in action January 6-7 when they travel to the Georgia Invite.
