Rigorous training pays off

Never say die. Fight until the very end. Grit. Heart. No matter which way you say it, this attitude of never giving up has never applied more to any one team than to the Penn women's swimming team. Despite losing 201-86 to Navy Friday, the Quakers still showed they are winners. It came down to a numbers problem. The Midshipmen (9-2) boasted a roster of 40 swimmers. Penn only had 10 competitors. This discrepancy made it all but impossible for Penn to get a victory on paper, but a moral victory was still attainable. Penn (0-7, 0-6 EISL) was led by junior Allison Zegar, who shined in the 800-meter freestyle. Never during the season had a Quaker come close to breaking any record. But by clocking a time of 9 minutes, 13 seconds, Zegar came within a tenth of a second of setting a new pool record at Navy. This performance was all the more impressive because the Midshipmen's host pool is measured in meters, not yards, meaning Zegar had to swim further than usual. Zegar's performance set a precedent for the Quakers which held true to form throughout the entire meet. As the distance increased and the meet wore on, Penn continuously showed improvement. As the meet progressed, the Quakers' times dropped. In the last event of the day, the 200-meter relay, Penn recorded its fastest time of the year. The performance came after each swimmer had already competed in three events. "It's showing they're in shape," Penn assistant coach Mike Schnur said. "There are a lot of times when other teams have an advantage. Their swimmers do not have to swim back to back. All our women swim four events. It just takes its toll after a while." With all swimmers eligible to compete in Easterns this season, Penn has kept pushing itself in practice. While this is the time of year when most teams begin to cut distance, the Quakers are continuing to train all-out. This will allow them to peak for Easterns, while other teams are trying to be in top shape a little earlier to contend for the Ivy title. This training is what has enabled Penn to get faster as its meets progress. In the 200-meter breaststroke, Penn sophomore Erin Ridge got edged out after making up a 10-meter deficit in the last half of the race. Again, this near comeback was a direct result of the Quakers excessive training. "I think the team has a lot of endurance," Ridge said.