M. Swim wins at home again

It was like a good ol' fashioned prizefight Saturday afternoon in Scheerr Pool. The Penn men's swimming team dealt Ivy League rival Brown a number of staggering blows, only to have the Bears battle back time and time again and take the Quakers the distance before Penn sent them to the canvas, 133-110. "We were tenacious and aggressive today," Penn coach Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert said. "Our guys showed how tough they are and how much they really are dedicated to winning." The Quakers' victory extended their dual meet winning streak to three and boosted their Ivy League record to 3-3, 4-3 overall, while Brown fell to 1-4, 1-5. Penn is still undefeated this year at Scheerr Pool. "This was a tremendous victory for us today," Penn assistant coach Mike Schnur said. "This is our most league wins in the last three years and we're still unbeaten at home. That's a big goal for our guys." The Quakers came out fast and furious as they pounded Brown in the 400-yard medley relay to open the meet. Star freshman Jeff Brown then turned in the second fastest 1,000-yard freestyle time in Penn history to send the Bears reeling. To bolster Penn's chances in the medley relay, Lawlor-Gilbert took a calculated risk in moving senior co-captain Rob Morris from the anchor position in the 400-freestyle relay to the butterfly leg of the medley relay. Morris responded with one of the fastest 100 fly times in the league this year. After five events, Saturday's meet had all the makings of a slaughter, especially after Morris and junior Bryan Thornton took first and second in the 50 freestyle (21.66 and 22.02 seconds, respectively). It was at this point Brown coach Ed Reed disclosed his ace in the hole -- his divers. "Brown came to compete," Lawlor-Gilbert said. "[Reed] knew from the beginning that he had a cushion with his divers." In the 1-meter diving competition, the Bears, led by junior Bill Stevenson and freshman Jeff Sparks, swept first, second, and third to even up the meet and put the pressure back on the Quakers. "When we went down one, two, three in 1-meter diving, our guys really rose to the occasion," Lawlor-Gilbert said. "I've had teams where that would have shaken their confidence. I just told the guys that we were going to have to come out even stronger than we started out." "The coach and some of the older swimmers sort of took us aside," Brown said. "They told us the meet was going to be won or lost in the second half and that we were going to have to stay focused to win." Sophomore Marc Gomberg immediately answered the challenge, taking first in the very next event -- the 200 butterfly (1:58.77). Morris and freshman Ken Fletcher then knocked the wind out of the Bears by finishing first and second in the 100 freestyle (47.60 and 48.35, respectively). "Marc really picked us up," Schnur said. "He seized the momentum at a time when we really needed it." After Brown flew past the field in the 500 freestyle (4:38.15), Penn saw its advantage threatened again in the 3-meter diving competition. This time, however, sophomore Josh Schultz turned in a solid performance and a second place finish to give the Quakers a precarious 106-101 advantage with two events remaining. With Morris scratched from the final event -- the 400 freestyle relay -- the responsibility fell on sophomore Rion Broshears to clinch the meet for Penn in the 200 breaststroke. Broshears delivered the knockout blow as he won by three full lengths. "I knew the match was really close," Broshears said. "I was prepared to do what it took to win the meet." "I was sure Rion would win," Schnur said. "If he's focused, there aren't many breaststrokers who can beat him." Penn's victory Saturday not only earned the Quakers the elusive .500 league record they have been seeking, but it also earned them a little respect around the league. "This is the first time in two or three years that we've been at the .500 mark in the Ivy League," Brown said. "It was a little more important to us than a normal meet. It shows we're on the way back. Other teams used to look past us. They can't do that anymore."

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