W. Swimmers are swept

The Penn women's swimming team was not expecting a stellar performance as it headed into its season opener against Cornell and Yale in Ithaca, N.Y., Saturday. Since there was little pressure heading into the dual meet, the Quakers could afford to just swim for themselves, and not necessarily go and flat-out compete. Unfortunately for Penn, neither the Big Red nor the Elis had the same game plan. Cornell and Yale represent two of the top three teams in the Ivy League, so the two foes were intent on beating each other, and were not concerned with the Quakers. With the Big Red and Elis swimming with maximum intensity in an effort to claim early dominance of the Ancient Eight, Penn was left in their wake. The Quakers first dug a hole for themselves as the meet began with the diving session. Freshman Naomi Stoller, Penn's only diver, turned in a good performance in her first collegiate meet despite being a little intimidated going up against seniors from the two other schools. But with only one diver on the squad, the Quakers simply could not compensate for the scoring deficiency left by the absence of the two other divers. When the swimming finally began, Penn was forced to contend with its two hungry opponents. Yale and Cornell put so much emphasis on this meet. Both tapered practicing toward the end of last week. Ironically, Penn coach Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert has chosen to work hard in every practice until the heart of the Ivy League schedule begins. So the Quakers did not only have to overcome physical fatigue, they had to deal with mental intimidation knowing they were headed into an uphill battle. The hungrier squads devoured Penn. The Quakers were dropped 157-104 by both opponents. To show just how motivated Cornell and Yale were, three pool records were shattered -- and this was only the first meet of the year. "Cornell and Yale were very well rested for each other," assistant coach Mike Schnur said. "We got caught in the crossfire of an extremely intense rivalry. Cornell tied its Easterns' times from last year. They probably won't equal any of those times the rest of the year." Penn (0-2, 0-2 EISL) did get a few good performances toward the end of the meet which can be attributed to its rigorous training schedule. Junior Alison Zegar shined in the 500-meter freestyle, while sophomore Natalie Wolfinger and freshman Jen Marzullo headed up the breaststrokers. "It seemed like it was more like a championship-style meet," Marzullo said after her first Ivy race. "In a field there are one or two people who are really good, but with the caliber of these teams, the whole atmosphere was a little intimidating." Marzullo was defeated in the 200-meter breaststroke by Yale's Melinda Davies, who went on to set one of the three pool records. This is where the intimidation began. Marzullo swam against Davies in high school in Connecticut, and lost to her each time. Marzullo knew she would be "blown out of the water," even before she got off the blocks. "I think it was a good starting point," sophomore Erin Ridge said. "There was a lot of competition, so all we can do is hope to build on the meet and look to improve our times. But all in all, I think we swam really tough." As Penn continues to practice all-out to focus on Easterns, as opposed to dual meets, the Quakers will compete against the clock and not the competition. And with both the Cornell and Yale coaches giving praise to Lawlor-Gilbert about her young team, Penn will still be a prominent figure in the Ivy League race.