Swimmers eager to face Lions

Hassett and Valins lead Men One would think a freshman swimmer competing in his first few collegiate meets would be overwhelmed, but that has not been the case for Penn's Robbie Hassett and Andrew Valins. The two rookies made their presence felt right away by finishing 1-2 in the 200-meter breaststroke in their first collegiate meet November 19 against Cornell and Yale. The level of competition the duo has had to face makes their accomplishments all the more remarkable. "I knew I could contribute," Hassett said. "But I didn't expect to win my first meet." "It helped establish my place on the team," Valins added. "I gained some respect from the upperclassmen." The Quakers started their season with three straight losses despite the efforts of their prize freshman. The losses were not terrible blows for Penn (0-3, 0-3 EISL) since it did not expect to have any wins at this point in the season. The Quakers were hoping instead to tune-up for tomorrow's meet at Columbia (1-3, 0-3), which should give them their best shot yet at a victory. Over the past several years the Penn-Columbia rivalry has exploded into one of the fiercest in the EISL. While the meet does not have the title implications of the Cornell-Yale contest or the upcoming Princeton-Harvard duel, it remains a vital meet for both squads. The Quakers have had tomorrow's date circled on their calendars since the preseason. It will be their most important meet until the Eastern Championships in March. "So far, it is definitely the biggest meet of the season," Valins said. Columbia is coming off a 135-102 loss to Cornell, a defeat that happened despite the spectacular performance of Columbia's Greg Billings. Billings won the 200 and 500 freestyle and the 200 butterfly. The Lions fell to the Big Red in part because of their lackluster performance in the breaststroke events, where Columbia took fifth through eighth place in the eight-man 200 breaststroke. Hassett and Valins should be able to capitalize on this weakness. The two have an excellent chance to post their second 1-2 finish of the season. Despite the recent success in the breaststroke events, the Quakers' strength still lies in the freestyle races. Penn's top freestyler, sophomore Jeff Brown, was also a star as a freshman, when he posted the second-best 1000 freestyle time in Quakers history. Brown's greatest attribute may be his versatility. Last year he specialized in distance events like the 1,000 and 1,650. But this season, Penn coach Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert has shifted the sophomore between the sprints, middle distance and long-distance events. Lawlor-Gilbert has matched Brown up against the opponents' top freestylers in an effort to get the best team result. Sophomore Ken Fletcher made a statement against Princeton, almost beating an NCAA qualifier in the 200 freestyle. He will complement Brown well in the freestyle events. Fletcher will try to neutralize Billings, leaving Brown free to race against the clock. The Quakers should stack up well against Columbia, especially with the expected return of Penn's top backstroker, senior Jim McGinnis. "It's definitely going to be a lift to the team," Hassett said. McGinnis' top competition will likely come from Columbia's Greg Ridlinger, who placed third in the 200 backstroke against Cornell. Penn seems ready to jump out of the conference cellar. With their already-strong freestylers and the emergence of Hassett and Valins in the breaststroke events, the Quakers have a newly instilled confidence. "We definitely think we can win," Valins said. "And we will."