Lock Haven, Pa. - Clarion swimmers Ryan Thiel and Kaitlyn Johnson have been named the first PSAC Swimmers of the Week for the 2009-10 season. Thiel has posted a total of six NCAA ‘B’ provisional qualifying times in three meets so far this year in the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle events while Johnson swam to two NCAA ‘A’ automatic qualifying times in the month of October as well as five NCAA ‘B’ times in three meets this year while also helping lead Clarion to two dual meet wins.
PSAC Men’s Swimmer of the Week
Ryan Thiel, Clarion
Senior, Freestyle
Ligonier, Pa./Ligonier Valley
Thiel, a seven-time All-American and a former PSAC champion in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle events, won the 50, 100, and 200 free at the Clarion Fall Classic, coming within just .04 seconds of an NCAA ‘B’ time in his first swim of the year in the 100 free. In the dual meet with Carnegie Mellon, Thiel came within just .02 of a second of an NCAA ‘A’ time by winning the 50 free in :20.71, swam NCAA ‘B’ times in winning the 100 and 200 free, and was a part of the winning 200 free relay team. In the dual meet with Shippensburg, Thiel posted two more NCAA ‘B’ times in winning both the 50 and 100 free was a part of the first place 200 medley and 200 free relay teams.
PSAC Women’s Swimmer of the Week
Kaitlyn Johnson, Clarion
Junior, Free/Fly
Uniontown, Pa./Uniontown
Johnson, the defending PSAC champion in the 100 butterfly and a seven-time All-American, hit several NCAA standards in just the first few weeks of the season while also helping Clarion start off the season with a first place finish in a multi-team meet and with two dual meet wins. In Clarion’s first meet of the season, the Clarion Fall Classic, Johnson swam NCAA ‘B’ times in her first swim of the year in both the 50 free and 100 fly, winning both events, also won both the 100 and 200 free, and was a part of the first place 200 and 400 medley and 200 and 400 free relay teams. In the Golden Eagles’ dual meet win over Carnegie Mellon, Johnson swam two NCAA ‘A’ automatic qualifying times of :23.68 in winning the 50 free and :57.12 in winning the 100 fly and is doing so, completing the unusual task of already having automatically qualified for the NCAA championships before the calandar turned to November. In a dual meet win over Shippensburg, Johnson won both the 100 and 200 free, swimming NCAA ‘B’ qualifying times in both events. She also won the 100 fly in a ‘B’ time and was on the first place 200 medley relay team.