UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. (Feb. 4, 2005) - The Penn State men's swimming and diving team will honor five student-athletes in their final home dual-meet when the Nittany Lions play host to Big Ten rival Ohio State beginning at 12 p.m. Saturday at McCoy Natatorium.
Marc Gastaldo (Winslow, Maine), Patrik Johansson (Lund, Sweden), Daryl Northrop (Verona, N.J.), Dustin Thompson (Munster, Ind.) and Mark Zucca (Hudson, Ohio) will compete for the last time in the regular season finale, which is free for all to attend. Penn State owns a 6-1 dual meet record, while the Buckeyes are 9-1 after losing to No. 7 Michigan 125-118 last weekend. Gastaldo has peaked his first three years at the Big Ten Championships. He finished fifth in 2004 in the 3-meter diving event with a score of 521.95. He took sixth in the same event the previous year with a score of 508.75, and as a freshman, he took 10th on the 1-meter board. Gastaldo is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. Johansson is enjoying his second season in the Nittany Lion program after transferring from the University of Toledo. In his first season (2004), he placed 16th in the 100 butterfly at the Big Ten Championships in 49.81 seconds. He also swam on the fourth-place 200 freestyle relay team that touched the wall in 1:20.35, and the sixth-place 400 freestyle relay team that finished in 2:58.61. Northrop continues to impress in the pool for the Nittany Lions. He set a personal-best time of 20.56 in the 50 freestyle at the 2004 Big Ten Championships, which was good for 12th. He had another top individual finish, as he took eighth in the 100 freestyle in 44.92. He also finished fourth in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:20.35, and seventh in the 400 medley relay in 3:16.95. During his sophomore season in 2003, Daryl helped Penn State finish third in the 200 freestyle relay (1:19.89) at the Big Ten Championships. Thompson, an Academic All-Big Ten honoree, placed 11th at the 2004 Big Ten Championships in the 400 IM with a time of 3:53.99. Setting a personal-best time, he also took ninth in the 200 butterfly in 1:47.84. He also helped Penn State to a seventh-place showing in the 800 freestyle relay in 6:38.45. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Zucca has enjoyed a stellar career for the Nittany Lions. He served as a Penn State co-captain during the 2003-04 season, and went on to finish 16th at the Big Ten Championships in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:04.09. As a freshman, Zucaa became a two-time Honorable Mention All-American as part of Penn State's 200- and 400-medley relay teams. That season, he also finished 15th in the 200 breaststroke and 16th in the 100 breaststroke at the Big Ten Championships. After the dual meet against the Buckeyes, the Nittany Lions will get ready for the Big Championships, which will be held Feb. 24-26 in Minneapolis, Minn. For more information on Penn State men's and women's swimming and diving, please visit our official athletics website at www.GoPSUsports.com. Men's Event Program
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