BRADFORD, Pa. - The Penn State Altoona men's and women's swimming teams opened their 2017-2018 season on Saturday afternoon in the Pitt-Bradford Relays, and the squads combined for 166 points to place second out of five teams.

Pitt-Bradford came in first place with a combined 176 points from its men's and women's teams. Genesee Community College was third with a combined 156 points.

For the women's team, Penn State Altoona achieved a first place finish in the 5x100 Yard Freestyle, as the team of Emily Beam (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone), Mariah Lee (Ardmore, PA/Haverford), Hannah Kimmick (Youngwood, PA/Hempfield), and Danielle Bye (Hockessin, DE/Cab Calloway School of the Arts) earned a time of 5:32.04 to win the event.

The Lady Lions also picked up a first place in the 800 Yard Freestyle Relay, as Kimmick, Ariana Paulhamus (Jersey Shore, PA/Jersey Shore), Beam, and Lee finished with a total time of 9:55.70.

The Lady Lions got a second place finish in the 3x100 Yard Butterfly Relay. In that race, Beam, Elizabeth Anderson (Lewisberry, PA/Red Land), and Bye posted a total time of 3:48.19 to finish as the runner-up. The Penn State Altoona women also got a second place in the 3x100 Yard Backstroke Relay, where Kimmick, Hayley Fultz (Lewistown, PA/Mifflin County), and Emily Booz (Berwyn, PA/Conestoga) recorded a time of 3:49.70.

For the men's team, the squad's best finish came in the 3x100 Yard Breaststroke Relay, where Greg Landis (York, PA/West York), Ben McConnell (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle), and Tom Weir (Greensburg, PA/Hempfield) finished with a combined time of 3:33.15 to place second in the event.

Penn State Altoona also picked up second place finishes in several men's and women's mixed events.

In the 200 Yard Medley Relay, Dominic Woods (Pittsburgh, PA/Brentwood), Paulhamus, Beam, and Justin Bannister (Willow Hill, PA/Fannett-Metal) earned a time of 2:08.24. In the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay, the group of Alexis Franks (Pleasant Gap, PA/Bellefonte), McConnell, Lee, and Caleb Marasco (Altoona, PA/Altoona) had a total time of 1:49.86. In the 400 Yard Medley Reverse Relay, Landis, Bye, Weir, and Booz finished second with a time of 4:15.69. The day ended with the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay, where Anderson, Mike Mao (Shanghai, China/St. Anthony's), Franks, and Gino Cercone (Allison Park, PA/Shaler) posted a time of 4:40.19 for the runner-up spot.

Penn State Altoona men's and women's swimming is back in action on Saturday, October 28, traveling back to Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Pitt-Bradford for the teams' first dual meet of the season. That meet is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.