M. Swimming hopes to reach preseason goal

Before the season began, Penn men's swimming coach Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert stated one of the team's goals was to match last year's 5-6 dual meet record. After jumping out of the gate with four straight losses, that seemed more like fantasy than reality. In the end, though, Lawlor-Gilbert may prove to be prophetic. After their winter trip to Florida was canceled, the swimmers engaged in a two-week practice session over winter break. After the mini-camp, which the swimmers described as a "bonding experience," the Quakers clawed out of the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League cellar with wins over Dartmouth and Brown. After a setback against Navy, Penn again won two straight, this time against Division III schools. The Quakers now find themselves 4-5 with two meets left. Tomorrow's confrontation with Army (6-6, 2-5 EISL), to be held at Army's temporary home pool at Marist, will give Penn (4-5, 2-5) a chance to reach the .500 mark for the first time this season. With a victory and then an expected loss to Harvard next weekend, the Quakers will accomplish their goal of repeating last year's 5-6 record. Strangely, the Cadets' season has mirrored that of the Quakers. Army jumped out of the gates slowly, dropping its first four conference meets. The Cadets finally ended the drought with a 137-102 victory over Columbia. After succumbing to then-winless Brown, Army pulled even with Penn in the EISL standings with a win over Dartmouth. The Quakers' attack is based on their incredibly consistent freestyle squad, which is sure to put up 45-60 points. But it will be up to the younger swimmers to put the meet away. "To be big-time point scorers, we always seem to have to count on the freshmen," sophomore Jeff Brown said. Freshmen Andrew Valins and Rob Hassett will again be asked to finish 1-2 in the 200-yard breaststroke, a request they have obliged numerous times this year. Valins will have the added task of taking on Army's Matt Wineriter in the 200 butterfly. Wineriter owns the EISL's top time of the year in the event and should pick up another first place tomorrow. Lately, Penn's most impressive rookie has been Colin Robinson. The Philly native is the Quakers' jack-of-all-trades, having competed in freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and individual medley, as well as the medley relay. Robinson is most valuable in the IM, which has been a weak spot for the Quakers in the past. The meet will also provide many of the freshmen with a last-minute opportunity to impress Lawlor-Gilbert as she decides which swimmers to take to the year-ending Eastern Championships. "There are some guys on the team that are looking at this meet as a chance to make Easterns," Brown said. Valins, Hassett, Robinson and Powell are already locks to make the trip. But for swimmers like Eric Rowan, Mark Spenner and Charles Margosian, a strong showing against Army followed by another impressive outing versus Harvard could push them onto Lawlor-Gilbert's list. After their 0-4 start, the Quakers' chances of winning even one conference meet seemed bleak. But Penn's goal of a 5-6 record is suddenly in reach.