Sterg Dikos, from Lancaster Aquatic Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has made a verbal agreement to swim for the Penn State Nittany Lions beginning with the 2015-16 season.
“With such great academics, coaching staff and team Penn State was where I wanted to be. I am very excited to be a Nittany Lion!”
Dikos has a rather remarkable story. He was primarily a water polo player until about a year ago. He only picked up club swimming last spring, after his junior season at Governor Mifflin High School. This means he only has one long course season under his belt, making it all the more impressive that he already has Winter Juniors cuts in the 100m free and 100/200m fly.
Here are some examples of his times. In short course yards, Dikos only has four officially-recordable swims, all from Pennsylvania High School District 3 Championships:
| 50y free | 21.36r |
| 100y free | 45.92 |
| 500y free | 4:45.43 |
| 100y fly | 50.58 |
In long course meters, Dikos participated in three meets over the summer of 2014, culminating in the Speedo Super Sectionals in Buffalo, New York. There he placed fourth in the 100m free, eighth in the 100m fly, and fourth in the 200m fly. In two months, he dropped 3 in the 100 free, 7 in 200 breast, 9.8 in 100 fly, 7.5 in 200 fly, and 10.5 in 200 IM. His top times were:
| 50m free | 24.87 |
| 100m free | 52.40 |
| 200m free | 1:58.84 |
| 100m fly | 56.71 |
| 200m fly | 2:05.52 |
| 200m IM | 2:13.44 |
It’s a little early to figure out where Dikos will fit into the Penn State roster, but as guidance, here’s what it took to make A/B/C finals at 2014 B1G Championships:
100y fly: 47.67/48.13/48.45
200y fly: 1:45.35/1:47.15/1:48.81
500y free: 4:18.89/4:22.16/4:23.72
What’s clear is that Tim Murphy and his staff are getting a swimmer with proven athletic talent who is still a work-in-progress, and that’s a very exciting prospect for a coach. Dikos will join fellow commits Robbie Dickson and Sam Petrini in the class of 2019.