Diver Daphne Wils Sets Two School Records as Penn State Tops West Virginia
Grad student Daphne Wils rewrote the Penn State record boards on the boards Friday, setting team and pool records in both springboard events to propel a 208-92 victory over West Virginia.
Wils scored 312.60 on 1-meter to down the records. She added a score of 356.10 on 3-meter. It was the first meet at McCoy Natatorium for Wils, a Netherlands international, 15-time Dutch national junior champion and University of Hawaii transfer.
Senior team captain Wei Wei finished second on both boards to add to the Nittany Lions’ point totals.
In the pool, Penn State had no problem, either. They won both relays, with Mary Brinker handling anchor duties. She also won the 50 free in 23.28, part of a sub-24 podium sweep with teammates Abbie Amdor and Ellie Tiskus. Amdor won the 100 free.
The 50 wasn’t the only 1-2-3 finish. Emma Harvey sparked one in the 100 backstroke, winning in 54.56. Teammates Molly Carson and Ellie Brandbergh followed in second and third. Brandbergh was also second, by .13 seconds, to teammate Brooke Matthias’ winning time of 55.94 in the 100 butterfly. Penn State went 1-2 in the 200 back via Abby Henderson and Shannon Meadway; the same duo took home the top two spots in the 400 individual medley.
That lessened the load on the Meisner sisters. Catherine Meisner won the 200 free and 500 free. Julia Meisner was second to teammate Morgan Rinn in the 200 fly.
Mia Cheatwood led the Mountaineers’ effort. She won the 100 breaststroke, in a tight race with Penn State’s Liv Jack, and 200 breast, by a decisive margin of nearly three seconds.
West Virginia got an early boost from its distance contingent. Olivia Busch won the 1,000 freestyle in 10:15.88, teammate Miranda Kirtley following. The 500 freestyle brought a pair of podium places, with Abby Reardon in second and Busch third.
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