Women's Swimming and Diving Captures AMCC Championship

GROVE CITY, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend women's swimming and diving team captured their eighth Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Championships on Saturday evening at Grove City.

After a one-year hiatus, the Lions brought the title back home in convincing fashion. Behrend never trailed during the three-day event and finished with 269 points to beat Cabrini, who ended with 190 points for second. Franciscan was third (117), Pitt-Bradford fourth (102) and Penn State Altoona fifth (96).

Mia Pietropola (Pittsburgh, PA/Plum) tied for the highest point winner with Elizabeth Prager of Bradford, earning 27 points during the championships. Tonight, the sophomore repeated as the 200 breaststroke champion and broke records with it. She set the school record, AMCC meet and open record in the prelims in 2:27.37 and then took two seconds off in the finals to break it again and take home the gold medal. Pietropola was second overall in this event.

Anna Rose Watterson (Baldwin, PA/Seton-La Salle), Allie Schneider (Erie, PA/McDowell) and Kristin Owens (Erie, PA/McDowell) all finished runner up on the night.

Watterson was second and 14^th overall in the 1650 freestyle (19:23.29). Owens was the top Behrend swimmer in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:30.08, while Schneider was second in the 200 backstroke. She touched in 2:23.46 for 15^th overall. Alex Isaacson (Williamsport, PA/Williamsport) placed third in the 200 backstroke in 2:28.59.

The one-meter diving finals featured Rachel Cotton (Media, PA/Penncrest). The freshman took second in the AMCC and 11^th overall with a dive of 317.60.

The Lions sealed the championship with the 400 free relay.  Gwendolyn Lowery (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte), Pietropola, Emma Daghir (St. Marys, PA/Elk County Catholic) and Lauren Rosato (Pittsburgh, PA/Chartiers Valley) had the AMCC top time of 3:43.93 which was good enough for fifth and just shy of the AMCC and school record (.7).