W. Swim faces best in the east

Hour after hour, day after day, week after week, eight members of the Penn women's swimming team have swam hundreds of miles in Sheerr Pool, driven only by the promise of a single distant moment when those efforts might be rewarded. Today the eight qualifying Quakers travel to Princeton to challenge some of the best swimmers on the east coast in the three-day Eastern Championships. The Easterns are officially a team tournament scored on a complicated point system, but the real focus is on individual times and performances. "This is the first chance we've had all season to really swim our best," sophomore Alison Zegar said. "We'll be tapered and shaved and all of the best people will be there. For once, the score doesn't matter. We'll be swimming for ourselves." Zegar, Penn's highest returning scorer from last year with an eighth-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle, will compete in the 200, 500, 1,650 freestyle today. Fellow sophomores Kari Bolstad (200 and 500 free, 200 fly) and Gillian Beamer (100 and 200 breast) join Zegar, along with freshmen Gillian Morris (500 free, 100 and 200 fly), Natalie Wolfinger (200 back, 400 individual medley) and Emily Montes (200 back). Each competitor will also swim various legs of the freestyle and medley relays along with two relay specialists -- senior Megan Staats and sophomore Tanya Nolan. With seven underclassmen among their eight representatives, the Quakers will be one of the youngest squads competing at the Easterns. Nevertheless, Penn assistant coach Mike Schnur doesn't believe inexperience will be a problem. "I think everyone can do well in their own events," Schnur said. "We have a lot of women who have a chance to compete and score very highly. "This year's freshman class has much more experience than last year's. Natalie and Emily have been to big meets and Gillian Morris has been to Junior Nationals. This is their first Easterns, but they've been to big meets in the past and know what to expect." With the reward for a season's worth of hard work on the line, one thing the Quakers certainly expect is to be in top physical and mental condition for today's meet. "Everyone has their own way of preparing themselves for a meet," Zegar said. "But I'm sure once we get to Princeton, everyone's going to get psyched."

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