M. Swim destroyed by Harvard

None of the blood in Blodgett Pool was Crimson Saturday as the Harvard men's swimming team butchered the Quakers 263-46 in Boston. Penn failed to win any of the dual meet's 17 events, managing a second-place finish in only the 200-yard freestyle and the 400 freestyle relay. The Crimson breezed through the contest virtually unscathed as the Quakers were swept in all but three events. "We never never expected to win," Penn assistant coach Mike Schnur said. "We never expected to go up there and be even remotely in the meet." But, Schnur was still pleased with his squad's performance. "We actually had a pretty good meet," he said. "I mean, Harvard is one of the top-15 teams in the nation. We had some really excellent efforts on Saturday. For the most part, from the focus of our team, we were very successful." In particular, the 400-freestyle team of senior captain Rob Morris, sophomore Geoff Munger and freshmen Jeff Brown and Ken Fletcher finished in 3:08.47, just two-10ths of a second off their best performance this season. "Our whole 400 relay team really did a great job," Schnur said. "It was one of the fastest untapered, unshaved swims we've ever had here. At Columbia, we went 3:08.20 with three guys unshaved, so I think we have a great relay team for Easterns. "We had some really excellent performances. Ken Fletcher had a good 100 fly. Freshman Bill Conn had a terrific day. He had lifetime best times in the 50 and 100 free which was great. Marc Gomberg had some really good breaststrokes, and Jeff Brown had a nice 200 free." The Quakers' effort may have been hampered by a number of factors. Four of Penn's top swimmers -- juniors Jim McGinnis, Tom Swift and Bryan Thornton and senior Jeff Rubacki -- didn't even make the trip to Cambridge. Penn coach Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert also chose to use the Harvard meet to allow some swimmers to compete in unfamiliar events. "We left four of our best guys at home," Schnur said. "And we went a little bit off-lineup as well. We moved some people around to experience some new events and do some things out of the ordinary." With Saturday's loss, the Quakers finished up the EISL season in sixth place with a 3-6 record, 4-6 overall. Harvard's victory boosted the Crimson to 8-1, 10-2. Despite being beaten handily in their final two dual meets of the regular season, the Penn coaching staff is convinced their swimmers are right where they need to be with the Eastern championships looming only two weeks away. "We couldn't be happier with where we are right now," Schnur said. "We had one of our best dual meet records in the last three or four years. Our attitude going into Easterns is the best it's been all season. The guys are swimming unbelievably well right now. The losses will only make us meaner and hungrier for next week."

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