Penn State Altoona student-athlete Grace Dangelo was named the AMCC swimmer of the year on Feb. 25.
NORTH BOSTON, N.Y. — The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference announced its postseason swimming awards on Friday, Feb. 25, and four different Penn State Altoona women’s swimmers accounted for a total of nine all-conference honors and one major individual award.
Leading the way for Penn State Altoona’s postseason recognition was Grace Dangelo (State College, Pennsylvannia/State College), who was named the AMCC Women’s Swimmer of the Year as the top point-getter among all of the league’s women’s swimmers during last week’s conference championships. This marks the second time in her collegiate career that she has earned the AMCC’s top individual honor among women’s swimmers, as she gained the same award during her first season in 2019-20.
Dangelo, Avery Heisey (Lancaster, Pennsylvania/Conestoga Valley), Sarah Petry (St. Benedict, Pennsylvania/Cambria Heights), and Madison Coleman (Altoona, Pennsylvania/Tyrone) also combined to grab six first-team All-AMCC spots and three second-team All-AMCC awards. AMCC all-conference teams are determined by swimmers’ finishes during the conference championships, which were held Feb. 16-19 in Webster, New York.
Penn State Altoona student-athletes Grace Dangelo, Avery Heisey, Sarah Petry and Madison Coleman earned six first-team All-AMCC spots and three second-team All-AMCC awards.
As a foursome, Dangelo, Heisey, Petry and Coleman combined for first-team All-AMCC honors in the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay and the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay, and they were also second-team All-AMCC in the 800 Yard Freestyle Relay. With their times during the AMCC Championships, they set new Penn State Altoona women’s swimming team records in each of those three events.
The 200 Yard Freestyle Relay final was held on Thursday, Feb. 17, and Dangelo, Heisey, Petry and Coleman posted a total time of 1:42.13 to rank first among the four competing AMCC squads and second overall out of eight teams in the ‘A’ final. Their time set a new Penn State Altoona women’s swimming program record, supplanting the previous mark of 1:43.29. In the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay ‘A’ final on Saturday, Feb. 19, Dangelo, Heisey, Petry and Coleman came together for a time of 3:43.43 to come in first place out of five AMCC teams and third out of nine total competing squads. The four swimmers’ total time set a new team record in that event, passing the previous mark of 3:47.03.
In the 800 Yard Freestyle Relay final on Wednesday, Feb. 16, Dangelo, Heisey, Petry and Coleman combined for a time of 8:16.05 to place second out of five AMCC squads and fourth out of 10 overall competing teams. Their time established a new Penn State Altoona women’s swimming record in that event, surpassing the previous mark of 8:34.72.
Individually, Dangelo achieved first place AMCC finishes in the 200 Yard IM, 400 Yard IM, and 200 Yard Butterfly to earn first-team all-conference honors in those events.
Dangelo secured first place out of four AMCC swimmers in the 200 Yard IM ‘A’ final on Thursday, recording a time of 2:15.39 to rank third out of 10 overall swimmers. In the Friday, Feb. 18, 400 Yard IM ‘A’ final, she clocked in at 4:50.67 to finish first out of three AMCC competitors and third out of 10 overall individuals. In the 200 Yard Butterfly ‘A’ final on Saturday, she finished in 2:22.22 to place first among five AMCC swimmers and second out of 10 total swimmers.
Heisey rounded out Penn State Altoona’s first team All-AMCC listings by earning recognition for the 100 Yard Butterfly. In that swim’s ‘A’ final last Friday, she finished in 1:03.81 to place first out of five AMCC individuals and fourth out of 10 overall competitors.
Heisey also earned two second-team All-AMCC nods by finishing as the runner-up in the 50 Yard Freestyle and 100 Yard Freestyle during the conference championships. She took second place out of three AMCC swimmers and fourth out of 10 overall in the 50 Yard Freestyle ‘A’ final on Thursday, posting a time of 25.21. In the 100 Yard Freestyle ‘A’ final last Saturday, Heisey finished in 54.86 to come in second out of five AMCC swimmers and fourth out of 10 overall individuals.
Penn State Altoona women’s swimming placed third in last week’s AMCC Championships, finishing the four-day meet with 537.5 points as a team.
