Penn State Sweeps Army, But Black Knight Men Battle in Tight Loss

By Riley Overend on SwimSwam

Army vs. Penn State

• Jan. 12, 2024
• Crandall Pool
  • West Point, New York
• SCY (25 yards)
• PDF results
• Team scores
  • Men: Penn State 156.5, Army 143.5
  • Women: Penn State 183, Army 117

Penn State swept Army in their first meet back from winter break on Friday, but the Black Knight men kept it close in a tight 156.5-143.5 loss to a Power Five opponent.

Victor Baganha continued his strong junior campaign for the Nittany Lions (4-2), picking up wins in the 50-yard freestyle (20.14) and 100 butterfly (47.91). His season-best times in the 50 free (19.26) and 100 fly (47.91) rank 18th and 13th in the NCAA, respectively.

At last year’s Big Ten Championships, Baganha placed 4th in the 100 fly (45.48), 6th in the 50 free (19.33), and 7th in the 100 free (42.91) as a sophomore. The Brazilian native went on to place 6th in the 100-meter fly (53.00) at the Pan American Games last October.

Penn State sophomore Eduardo Cisternas also earned multiple individual victories in the 500 free (4:26.91) and 1650 free (15:15.57). The Chilean distance specialist wasn’t far off his season bests in the 500 free (4:19.47) and 1650 free (15:02.89) that rank 49th and 29th in the NCAA, respectively. Cisternas placed 7th in the 400-meter free (3:54.70) at the Pan American Games last October after just missing the Big Ten A-final in the 500-yard free last February.

Nittany Lions sophomore Cooper Morely triumphed in the 100 back (48.08), and Penn State freshman Tylor Kim won the 100 free with a 44.67 that was just a few tenths off his lifetime best from last October.

Fellow Nittany Lions freshman Hayden Elliott dominated the men’s diving events with 1st-place finishes on the 1-meter (358.05) and 3-meter (357.60).

Army sophomore Kohen Rankin swept the breaststroke events with wins in the 100 breast (54.04) and 200 breast (1:59.45). His season bests in the 100 breast (52.48) and 200 breast (1:55.52) rank 25th and 42nd in the NCAA, respectively.

The Black Knights also got individual victories out of junior Wes Tate in the 200 free (1:38.01), junior Alex Edwards in the 200 IM (1:49.87), and junior Jackson Pogue in the 200 fly (1:47.90) to stay within striking range of Penn State.

Women’s Recap

The Nittany Lion women topped the podium in every freestyle event to power past Army by a convincing 66-point margin.

Penn State senior Cat Stanford took the sprint titles with wins in the 50 free (23.39) and 100 free (51.07). Sophomore teammate Catherine Meisner contributed 1st-place finishes in the 200 free (1:49.58) and 500 free (4:57.86). Nittany Lions rookie Morgan Moore flexed her distance prowess by claiming the 1650 crown in 16:37.60.

Penn State senior Ellie Brandbergh placed 1st in the 100 back (55.61) while also tallying a runner-up finish in the 100 fly (56.22) behind sophomore teammate Carly Sebring (56.08).

On the diving boards, Nittany Lions fifth-year Daphne Wils set a Crandall Pool record in the 1-meter with a score of 320.25 and Penn State freshman Kailey Koval captured the 3-meter title with a score of 287.93. Army didn’t win any diving events, but the program has now qualified seven divers for NCAA Zones — the most in program history.

The Black Knights were led by sophomore Catriona Gilmore, who won the 200 IM (2:04.45) and 100 breast (1:02.69) while also earning a runner-up finish in the 200 breast (2:18.47) behind freshman teammate Aurelie Migault (2:17.12). Gilmore’s season-best time in the 100 breast (1:00.39) ranks 43rd in the NCAA this season.

Army also got an individual victory out of freshman Melinda Zhang in the 200 fly (2:01.81) as well as a pair of runner-up finishes from junior Clara Williams in the 100 free (51.39) and 200 free (1:50.00).

The Black Knights turned around for a back-to-back dual meet against Bucknell on Saturday, with the men cruising, 218-81, and the women coming out on top, 207-93. They’ll be back in action on Jan. 27 at Loyola University Maryland. Penn State visits Virginia Tech on Saturday at 10 a.m.

“I’m very proud of the way our teams competed tonight against a very good Big Ten program in Penn State,” Army head coach Brandt Nigro said. “We swam them last year on this very same weekend at their pool and were run out of the building — this year we went toe to toe with them from the start to the final relay.

We are in the thick of our final tough training block and have put together some of our best training of the season over the last month,” Nigro added. “The team is feeling it but still brings the confidence and toughness to step up and race/dive against whoever, whenever. We certainly need to clean up some race details that weren’t as sharp as they should have been and we need focus on bring the energy and excitement on deck a bit more.”

SwimSwam: Penn State Sweeps Army, But Black Knight Men Battle in Tight Loss