W. Swim qualifies for Easterns in loss

Sometimes the rain cloud shows a silver lining. At Princeton last Tuesday, the Tigers defeated the Penn women's swimming team 140 to 82. However four of the 17 Quakers (0-2 Ivy League, 0-2 overall) qualified for the Eastern championships. With sophomore veteran Allison Zegar and freshmen Emily Montez, Gillian Morris and Natalie Wolfinger setting the pace, it is now up to the balance of the team to complete a strong showing at Easterns. "We're on the right track to making Easterns," Penn Coach Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert said. "We're trying to qualify every person on the women's team." If the team's efforts at Princeton were any indication of what is to be expected from the young swimmers, the future is looking bright according to the coaching staff – which was pleased and impressed with their endurance. "I thought the girls swam a terrific meet," Penn assistant coach Mike Schnur said. "We did better than we did at Yale, and they were even a little more tired [from practice]. We had a double workout Monday before the meet, but they swam on Tuesday like they didn't." Individually, Penn was most impressive as Zegar touched the wall at 1:56.92 in the 200-yard freestyle to finish second while garnering a fifth-place finish in the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:16.73. Although Zegar felt she did not swim to her full potential, by clinching a spot at Easterns she can now focus her concentration on the big meet without the pressure of qualifying. "[Qualifying] was one of my goals," Zegar said. "It was a normal time for me but it wasn't an exceptional swim." Meanwhile Penn's freshmen demonstrated that they had left any initial shock and nerves behind in New Haven. With a third-place finish in the 500 freestyle, Morris qualified for Easterns with a time of 5:11.83. Montes took home third in the 200 backstroke in 2:13.18 to qualify while Wofinger's fifth-place finishes in the 500 freestyle (5:25.80) and the 400 individual medley (4:56.79) put her near the top of the field. "Gillian Morris had a lifetime best," Schnur said. "She did a terrific job. She had a great meet and really competed and Emily Montes did a very good job in the 200 back." Because the team's size is small compared to its competitors, the freshmen have been called upon to perform well very early in their collegiate careers. According to Zegar, they have risen to the challenge. "They are doing well," Zegar said. "I think it was a shock at first to be swimming against such good competition, but they've been swimming for a long time and they know what to do to be fast. Being a freshman doesn't always necessarily come into account." "I think we all get excited and keep a positive attitude– we're tough," Morris added. "We just want to keep training hard and let the coaches decide what we need to change." Although the strong Princeton team swept first place in every event, the Tigers' coach was impressed with the challenge the Quakers put up according to Schnur. "The Princeton coach seemed very impressed," Schnur said. "[The coach] said that there was a real difference between this year's team and last year's." Swimming unshaven and untapered, or without much rest and detailed preparation, the team has yet to put its best foot forward. However Lawlor-Gilbert and many of the team members concurred that their positive attitude and drive will continue to make them competitors to be reckoned with despite their lack of size and experience. "We could have treated this as an off meet, but we treated it totally as an on meet," Lawlor-Gilbert said. "I think [they] are becoming aggressive and tenacious as they compete against the best teams in the league." "I don't think that this year's team will take a backseat to anyone, even the Eastern champs," Schnur said.