SEASON PREVIEW: M. Swimmers face first test

After an off-season of turmoil, with members of the team quitting over disputes with coach Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert, the Penn men's swimming team is glad to just be back in the pool. The season will kick off tomorrow at Cornell, with a three-way meet with the Big Red and Yale. Out of necessity, the Quakers will go with an inexperienced lineup. Of the 24 swimmers, there are only two seniors and two juniors. But the team feels the youth movement could be a positive. The freshmen and sophomores may actually be the team's strength. "It's a big question mark," senior Jim McGinnis said. "We have probably eight or nine that are going to contribute. But they haven't had the opportunity yet." Lawlor-Gilbert is looking for her two senior swimmers, McGinnis and Bryan Thornton, to be the leaders on the team. She hopes they can serve as mentors for the younger swimmers as they begin their collegiate careers. McGinnis is one of the team's best hopes for an Eastern Championship title. The backstroke specialist feels reaching the backstroke final is a goal within his reach. Thornton will lead the freestylers, including sophomores Jeff Brown and Ken Fletcher. Brown sent shock waves throughout the Northeast last year en route to a top seed at the Eastern Championships. The freshman phenom swam the second fastest 1,000-yard freestyle race in Penn history. Penn's top diver will be sophomore Josh Schultz, who is capable of pulling off top-three finishes, as evidenced by his second at Brown last year. The same can be said of Penn's hopes for the Ivy League title. The race for the Ivy crown appears as if it will be a scramble for second place. "I imagine Princeton will probably be the strongest team this year," McGinnis said. "I'm guessing they're going to be a class above everyone else. From there on its pretty competitive. Anyone is capable of beating anyone else in a given weekend." Penn could finish as high as third in the league this year, depending on the progress of the newcomers. But the Red and Blue could also end up as low as last. "I know our men's team has a mission this year to defeat some teams in the league to whom we lost last year," Lawlor-Gilbert said. Penn already has Dec. 10 marked on its calendar. That is when the Quakers will travel to New York for their annual battle with Columbia. "That should be what we're focused on now," McGinnis said. But right now, Penn is gearing up for Cornell and Yale. This meet could be an indication of whether the Quakers are ready to compete or if this will be nothing more than a rebuilding year. With the leadership of McGinnis and Thornton, and the added contributions from the underclassmen, the Quakers are not thinking about failure. "I think we have the talent to be pretty competitive in the league," McGinnis said. "We should be pretty strong."