Youngstown, Ohio – It was a busy day inside Beeghly Natatorium as the Youngstown State men's and women's swimming and diving programs kicked off the three-day YSU Invite with three new school records set.
The Penguin divers started off the finals in a very dominant fashion, as Zachary Lao claimed victory in the men's one-meter dive with a score of 319.90, qualifying for the NCAA Diving Zones, while Rafael Serey-Cormier placed second with a score of 309.20, also high enough for qualification for the NCAA Diving Zones.
Hanna Held placed first in the women's three-meter diving event with a score of 305.35, beating out teammates Natalie Weissman (276.95) and Haley Conklin (231.80).
Quinn Cynor broke the program record in the men's 500 free with a time of 4:22.97, breaking the previous record by two seconds. The Penguins notched the top five spots during the event, as Lorenz Beck finished second with a time of 4:36.28, and Poyraz San Askin finished third with a time of 4:36.35.
The Penguin women took the top three spots in their section of the 500 free, as Olivia Sweetman won with a pool-record time of 4:54.42, Derin Donmez finished second with a time of 5:02.17, and Lara Lilic placed third with a time of 5:08.98.
Elliot Elmore finished first in the men's 200 IM with a pool-record time of 1:51.05, followed by Adrian Andres-Moreno, who was runner-up with a time of 1:53.70.
James Slessor won the men's 50 breaststroke with a time of 25.24, followed by teammates Adrian Andres-Moreno in second with a time of 25.42, and Dominic Panozzo in third with a time of 25.84.
Jacob Gramer led the Penguin men to a sweep of the top three spots in the 50 free, as he clocked a time of 20.35. He was followed by Pablo Santos, who placed second with a time of 20.72, and Reid Withey, who placed third with a time of 20.82.
The men's relays shone, capturing sweeping victories on the day. First, in the 200-free relay, Quinn Cynor, Lorenz Beck, Reid Withey, and Jacob Gramer swam a time of 1:20.32 for the win, while the 400-medley relay team of Cynor, James Slessor, Beck, and Gramer set a new school record with a time of 3:12.42 en route to the win. Their mark was three seconds quicker than the previous school record.
Helen Bernardi placed runner-up in the 50 breaststroke as she clocked a time of 29.67, while Hannah Murray finished third with a time of 29.81.
Hannah Murray finished second place in the women's 200 IM as she clocked a time of 2:06.12.
Chloe Moore finished third in the women's 50 free with a time of 23.82.
The Penguin women finished third in the 200-free relay, as Izzy Rossi, Jordan Sarubbi, Katie Hildebrand, and Ximena Young clocked a collective time of 1:38.97.
Team Scores After Day 1
Men:
- Youngstown State – 364
- IUP – 303
- PennWest Edinboro – 234
- Pitt-Johnstown – 29
Women:
- Youngstown State – 484
- IUP – 256.5
- PennWest Edinboro – 211.5
- Pitt-Johnstown – 14
The Penguins will be back in action tomorrow morning for Day 2 of the YSU Invite with prelims beginning at 9 a.m.
For news and updates throughout the 2024-25 season, follow @YSUSwimDive on X.
