Dangelo is AMCC Women’s Swimmer, Newcomer of the Year; Lady Lions Take Fourth in AMCC Championships
WEBSTER, N.Y. – Penn State Altoona freshman Grace Dangelo (State College, PA/State College) earned two major Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference awards at the conclusion of the conference championships on Saturday at the Webster Aquatic Center, while the women's swimming team finished in fourth place in the standings.
Dangelo had a stellar week for the Lady Lions, and she was recognized for it when she was awarded with AMCC Women's Swimmer of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors. The freshman standout qualified for the awards by being the top point-getter of any AMCC women's swimmer during this week's conference championships.
Dangelo's week was highlighted by being involved in setting five new records for the Penn State Altoona women's swimming program. Individually, she set new team records in the 200 Yard Butterfly (2:11.19), 200 Yard I.M. (2:11.92), and 400 Yard I.M. (4:39.10), with her times in the 200 Yard Butterfly and 400 Yard I.M. also being AMCC-wide records in those events. Dangelo was also part of team record-setting times in the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay (1:43.48) and 400 Yard Freestyle Relay (3:49.06).
The Penn State Altoona women's swimming team settled into fourth place out of six teams by the end of the four-day AMCC Championships. The Lady Lions concluded their week with a team score of 229 points.
Alfred State College came from behind to claim the AMCC title, beating Penn State Behrend by a 547-542 margin. Franciscan University placed third with 265 points, SUNY Delhi was fifth with 167 points, and Pitt-Bradford came in sixth with 18 points.
Avery Heisey (Lancaster, PA/Conestoga Valley) earned an AMCC first place in the 100 Yard Freestyle, besting all other AMCC swimmers in the championship final for that event with a time of 55.02. That time sets a new Penn State Altoona women's swimming team record, edging the previous record of 55.04, set by former swimmer Kim Love. Heisey's record is her second new individual team record established during the AMCC Championships this week.
Gillian Lowe (York, PA/Dallastown) also competed in the 100 Yard Freestyle, swimming in the consolation final, during which she earned a time of 58.78 to place sixth overall within the AMCC.
In the meet's final event, the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay, the foursome of Dangelo, Heisey, Lowe, and Kaitlin Heil (Pittsburgh, PA/CAPA) recorded a combined time of 3:49.06 to place first within the AMCC. The squad's time also set a new Penn State Altoona women's swimming team record, surpassing the previous mark of 3:53.92 set during the 2017 AMCC Championships by former swimmers Eva Gerhart, Paetyn Zeamer, Emily Booz, and Maria Gibson.
