M. Swim Overwhelms Big Green

Pounding Dartmouth 146-84 Saturday, the Penn men's swimming team let the Big Green know the Quakers have shifted into winning gear. It's a message that still echoed loud and clear from the walls of Sheerr Pool from the Columbia meet December 11. Penn dominated start to finish, from senior captain Rob Morris' lightning 50-yard freestyle to freshman Jeff Brown's strong 1,650-yard freestyle, to keep Dartmouth only green with envy. "I tell the guys to do their talking in the water," Penn coach Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert said. "They told us eloquently they want to defeat their opposition." After spending Winter Break training in Florida, the Quakers (3-3 overall, 2-3 EISL) came back with an aggressive attitude and expecting to win. "In many of the events we watched them get out on the blocks knowing they would win," Schnur said. "The Columbia meet gave us a lot of confidence and we saw the work in Florida pay off?but overconfidence won't ever be a problem. We prepare them for the worst. Confidence will only help them be better swimmers." Although several personal bests were set in the Columbia meet when the Quakers were more prepared, Penn swam with consistently strong times Saturday. Unlike the meet against the Lions, Penn had less rest and did not shave against the Big Green (3-4 overall, 0-4 EISL). "Our focus is still Easterns," Schnur said. "But this meet showed that even without rest we can do well." The Quakers were led by the performance of Morris, who won both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle, setting the tone for the rest of the meet. "Rob Morris swam very well," Schnur said. "He wasn't feeling that well before the meet, but he came out anyway with a great example as usual." Freshman standout Brown won both the 1,650- and 500-yard freestyle as well as the 200-yard butterfly. The 1,650 freestyle is a rare event in dual meets, but gave Brown more experience for the Eastern championships in the nearly mile-long swim. "Jeff Brown had an exceptional meet," Schnur said. "He swam the three longest and hardest events and he was strong for all of them. In fact, his best performance was in the last event. He did the job for the team with some great examples from the older guys." Other first-place performances were sophomore Sean Davison's 200-yard freestyle and Rion Broshear's 200-yard breast stroke. Though they faced a Dartmouth team which was not comparable in size or depth, and was coming off an eight-hour road trip, Penn did not underestimate the Big Green. Dartmouth has pulled out surprises in the past by unexpectedly resting and shaving for regular-season meets. "I have a healthy respect for Dartmouth's team," Lawlor-Gilbert said. "We were not without opposition." "It is important to stay focused even when there is not much competition," Brown said. "Every race is important to you, your team and the coaches, because it gives you experience for the championship meets later on." Importantly, the Penn squad realized the rewards to its hard training, which included many double-practice sessions. "It was good because we were looking forward to the meet and we pulled through," Brown said. "It's better to be over-prepared than under-prepared." "This meet showed that they can control their performance," Lawlor-Gilbert said. "If they train hard and get into the meets, they can be successful. It really comes out that they have a sense of purpose." As a home meet against Brown approaches, the squad does not have any major changes in store. The Quakers will be busy perfecting their technique with tighter and more efficient strokes and will work on their starts and turns. "I like to think of each meet as a rehearsal," Lawlor-Gilbert said. "If they keep doing everything they have to do, it will become second nature and we'll be successful." Both the coaching staff and the team members were pleased with their performances and attribute their success to their attitude and cohesive spirit. "This year we are more together," Morris said. "I think everybody swam well. It was the continuation of a lot of training and everyone had a good attitude." Their actions speak louder than words as they continue to prove this driven attitude in the pool.