W. Swimming splits weekend

The Penn women's swimming team faced two very different teams at Sheerr Pool this past weekend and ended up with two very different results. The Quakers (4-3) began the weekend by trouncing Navy, 173-127, on Saturday, but finished it by falling to Ivy League powerhouse Brown on Sunday, 227-63. Although the Midshipmen brought a six-year winning streak against the Quakers up I-95 with them, Navy proved to be no match for a much-improved Penn squad. "We were just a much better team," Penn coach Mike Schnur said. "We just dominated each event." Penn's success was attributed to a number of factors, including training at a camp in Florida over winter break. The Quakers returned in better shape and refreshed attitudes. In addition, the Quakers benefitted from their solid freshman class, who have continually turned in fast times throughout the season. Penn jumped out to an early lead by taking the 400-meter medley relay, the 1,000 freestyle and the 200 freestyle. "We came out immediately and showed them just how strong we are," senior captain Cathy Holland said. "I think we intimidated them and they just backed off." Later in the competition, the Quakers used the Navy meet to experiment a bit with their line-up. As Schnur realized that his team would win comfortably, he began to switch his athletes around, putting them in events that they rarely swim. "We moved the line-up around a bit because its always good to do different events," Schnur said. "You gain a lot of experience by racing in events that you don't normally do." Even in events they had never swam before, the Penn women showed their stamina and talent. While sophomore sprinter Jessica Anders was the winner in the early 200 freestyle, winning the event with a time of 1:56.33, she also proved herself strong in a later long distance event. The native of Elkins Park, Pa., took second place in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:18.56. "In these meets we learn sometimes who can swim other events," Schnur said. "Our women can do well in events that their primary focus." On Sunday, the Red and Blue faced the formidable Brown Bears. Brown, who placed second in the Ivy League Championships last year, showed that it is still a dominant team. The Quakers weren't expecting to top their league rival, but still sought to demonstrate the improvement of their team since last season. "Its easy to go into a meet like Brown and bag it," Holland said. "But we always get up there and race no matter how you're feeling or who you're racing against. You put in the best swim that you can." The Quakers were able to turn in a few good performances against Brown. Freshman Ashley Rader claimed first place in the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.90. And fellow freshman Linda Fescoe took second in the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.50 seconds. In an event that often gets overlooked in Penn swimming matches, Katie Laatsch also claimed a second place finish in the one-meter diving event. "I think in three to four years we will be able to compete with Brown and Princeton," Fescoe said. "We're getting strong recruits and we're building a much stronger team." Schnur admits that it will take considerable work to catch up to teams like Brown, but is optimistic about the future. "It will be a lot of work," Schnur said. "But it can and will happen."

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