ROSEMONT, Ill. – Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo was named the Big Ten Women’s Swimming Freshman of the Week and Rory Lewis earned the same honor on the men’s side, the conference office announced Wednesday, as both made strong collegiate debuts.
Gonzalez-Hermosillo achieved an NCAA “B” cut time of 4:19.10 in the 400 individual medley Saturday at Emory, and totaled five individual top-five finishes for the weekend to help lead Penn State to a 3-0 start. Friday against Georgia Tech and Liberty, Gonzalez-Hermosillo placed third in the 200 freestyle (1:52.15) and fifth in the 200 back (2:06.10), while touching fourth in the exhibitioned 200 individual medley (2:04.01.) Against Emory, Gonzalez-Hermosillo also won the 200 breast (2:19.37) and contributed to a third-place finish on the 200 IM relay team.
Gonzalez-Hermosillo is the first Nittany Lion to win the award since it was instituted during the 2011-12 season.
Lewis finished in the top three in all eight of his events in Penn State’s competitions against Georgia Tech and Emory. He touched first in the 400 freestyle relay (3:04.23) against Georgia Tech, while adding a second-place touch in the 100 butterfly (50.48) and a pair of third-place finishes in the 200 freestyle (1:41.02) and 400 medley relay (3:24.67). He found the top of the podium three times against Emory Saturday, doing so in the 200 butterfly (1:49.26), 400 freestyle relay exhibition (3:05.85) and 200 medley relay (1:34.20). He also added a second-place mark in the 100 freestyle (46.27).
Lewis is the first Nittany Lion to win the award since Shane Ryan (Nov. 20, 2012).
Penn State will next return home to McCoy Natatorium and host Virginia Tech at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16.