Penn State women’s coach John Hargis has reached across the state’s northern border to earn verbal commitments from the top-two backstrokers, and collegeswimming.com’s #2 and #3 rated recruits overall, from the state of New York.
The first is Jenna Bickel, the defending state champion in the 100 backstroke. She’s got bests of 54.7/1:58.8 in the 100 and 200 backstrokes. In her freshman season at Penn State, she will likely be in a three-way battle (with class of 2011 freshman Allie Roberts and junior Paige Whitmire) for a spot on Penn State’s medley relay. Bickel, who swims for Guiderland High School and the Delmar Dolphins, chose the Nittany Lions over Virginia, Florida, and Ohio State.
The other swimmer to pledge to Penn State is Kathryn Rowe from the Schenectady-Saratoga Swim Club. Rowe isn’t quite as strong of a backstroker as is Bickel (57.1/2:02.0 – though she does have her Olympic Trials cut in the long course 200), but she’s got more versatility with a 56.6 in the 100 fly and a 1:51.2 in the 200 free, where she could earn a spot on the A-relay as a freshman, after the Nittany Lions didn’t have enough freestyle depth to put their best 800 free relay on at NCAA’s.
The two swimmers come from neighboring towns in the southern part of Albany, the state capital.