M. Swimming to host Navy

While the Harvard and Princeton men's swimming teams battle for Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League supremacy every winter, Navy routinely goes about its business. The Midshipmen are not competing for Ivy League bragging rights, they just like to win. And they usually do. Navy has already racked up five EISL wins this season, including 100-point blowouts of Dartmouth and Brown and an impressive 151-92 victory over perennial Ivy-power Yale. It is programs like the Naval Academy that Penn (2-4, 2-4 EISL) is trying to emulate. While the Quakers are not yet at that level, they have made great strides, winning their last two meets at Dartmouth and Brown by a combined 44 points. But when Navy (7-1, 5-1) invades Penn's Sheerr Pool tomorrow at noon, the Quakers' two-game winning streak will likely come to an end. Leading the Midshipmen against Yale was junior Ian Johnston, who finished first in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2 minutes, 22.38 seconds. The EISL's most explosive breaststroker, Johnston owns the conference's top times in the 100 (56.76) and the 200 breaststroke (2:02.14). Navy has laid claim to four other EISL top times. Paul Kress posted a league-best 1:50.76 in the 200 backstroke against Army. Sophomore Chris Ornee is one of the conference's up-and-coming swimmers. He already owns the top spot in the 100 butterfly with a time of 50.49, as well as the league's second-best time in the 200 individual medley. Kress, Ornee and Johnston also teamed up with Stephen Platt to put up an EISL-best time of 3:23.25 in the 400 medley relay. Despite all of Navy's accomplishments, Penn believes it has not reached its potential and is capable of pulling off the upset. "We haven't had the time to rest and put up our best times," freshman Andrew Valins said. If the Quakers are to have any chance at a third-straight win, they will have to get strong performances from Valins and classmate Rob Hassett. The duo will likely face Johnston in the 200 breast and take on Johnston and Ornee in the 200 IM. Tomorrow's meet will be Penn's biggest test since Princeton visited Sheerr Pool. Although that meet ended up in a Tigers victory, the Quakers have shown remarkable improvement since winter break. But they insist the best is still to come. "We have a lot of talent waiting to be unleashed," Valins said.