Quakers set for trio of meets this weekend

To call this a big weekend for the Penn men's swimming team would be an understatement. Starting Friday night at 6 p.m., Sheerr Pool plays host to three consecutive meets, each of them which will provide Penn (1-3, 0-3 Ivy) some of its toughest competition of the season. "This weekend is going to be a blood bath" Penn senior Chris Miller said in an e-mail. Penn's marathon begins Friday night when it takes on powerhouse Notre Dame (1-2). Back in the water by 12 p.m. the next day, Penn will then race against Navy. The weekend's competition concludes as it faces off against Ivy League rival Brown on Sunday. "This is a huge weekend for us." Penn coach Mike Schnur said. "Having the opportunity to compete against such high quality programs is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our kids." Coming off a demanding eight-day Florida training camp and their first win of the 2002-2003 season less than a week ago against Army, the Red and Blue will look to ride whatever momentum they have recently generated into this weekend. "The Army meet was a big one for us, not only for our record, but for our self-esteem as well," Miller said. While this past week's win over the Cadets served as chicken soup for the souls of the Penn swimmers, this weekend's menu may prove slightly less appetizing. "All three teams that we face this weekend are better than us on paper," Schnur said. This week, early concessions from Schnur are not surprising. Last year, Navy and Brown each easily handled Penn, besting the Red and Blue by a combined 108 points. As for the Fighting Irish, a program offering athletic scholarships and top-notch facilities to their athletes, their meeting with the Quakers serves as a bright spot in their already demanding Big East schedule. Although Penn's 131-110 edging of Army seems a potential source of false confidence, Schnur explains that it may have helped his team find a formula for success. "We beat Army because we controlled the events that we are strongest in," Schnur said. Winning the events that they are supposed to win will be key this weekend for the Red and Blue against statistically better teams. Schnur will rely on upperclassmen leadership combining with the talent of his freshman class to compete against Notre Dame's Big East athletes. Freshman phenom Pat Maloney will need to build on his outstanding performance against Army, where he came home with three top-place finishes in the 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle and 200 butterfly. No epic sports clash is complete without a big name opponent. This weekend, Brown's Jefferson Moors certainly fits that bill. Coming off two first-place finishes in Brown's recent meet with Princeton, Schnur explains that Moors will be a tough opponent on Sunday. "Jefferson Moors is just a guy that we have no answer for." Schnur said. "We will look to win the races that he is not competing in." While individual talent is important for the Red and Blue this weekend, Schnur is quick to point out that the success of every team competing will be dictated by its depth. "We are going to need a strong performance from every single member of this team," Schnur said. Where outsiders foresee tragedy for Penn's team, its members see opportunity. "The team has been looking forward to this weekend all year, and we are confident that we will show the Ivy League that we mean business," Miller said. "Just because we have a 1-3 record doesn't mean that we are not capable of beating some of the best teams in the league." Miller politely reminds the critics that meets are not won and lost on paper but rather, in the pool.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.