Penn State Swimming Summer Highlights

Story posted September 10, 2017 in CommRadio by Sarah Sutnick

As junior diver Hector Garcia Boissier returns from his domination over at the FINA World Aquatics Championship, he is ready to proudly rep the Nittany lions once again. A dynamic duo arose at this championship when Boissier competed with his brother, Nicolas, at the championship.

"Competing with my brother was one of the best experiences I've ever had," Hector said. "I felt reunited with my family.”

After just missing the finals in the 3-meter springboard synchronized dive, Garcia Boissier is excited to be back with his Penn State teammates and Coach Tim and looking forward to another incredible year.

Another Nittany Lion getting recognition from the United States this summer is junior Ally McHugh. In June, McHugh swam at Nationals where she competed in her biggest event, the 400-meter IM. McHugh had been the first Nittany Lion since Amy Modglin in 2010 to reach the finals and she earned sixth.

McHugh’s swimming earned her a spot on her first international team at the World University Games, in Taiwan from August 19th to the 30th. McHugh swam the 400-meter IM on her first day at the games and earned a silver medal with her best time by .03 seconds.

McHugh was psyched after receiving this award because the USA team goal was for everyone to get a medal and she achieved that.

McHugh was also unexpectedly selected to swim the 200-meter freestyle in a relay and snatched a medal in that event as well. She believes the experience she gained over the summer will help her and the rest of the Penn State team when it comes time to hit the pool in the 2017-2018 season.

Unfortunately for the Lions, Shane Ryan, a 2016 Olympic semifinalist for the 100-meter backstroke, graduated and is moving on in his swimming career. Since the end of last semester, he's jumped from country to country, competing in meets from Italy to France.

After returning to Penn State for two weeks of training, he set off to the FINA World Aquatics Championship in Budapest, where he improved his ranking to 12th in the nation.

Ryan then met up in Taiwan with his Penn State teammate McHugh, who watched him win a gold medal in the 50-meter backstroke.

Ryan plans on training with the Nittany Lions through the fall to prepare for his next move post-graduation.

Since the Penn State globetrotters' return to Happy Valley, swimming Coach Tim Murphy has been working day in and day out to make them into even stronger competitors.

He believes the success over the summer built strengthened leadership and confidence in the team's top athletes that will help the Lions put together a strong 2017-18 campaign.

Sarah Sutnick is a freshman majoring in communications. To contact, email her at ssutnick11@gmail.com