W. Swimming dominates Swarthmore for first win

The Swarthmore swimming team yelled "nice meet Penn," as it packed up its belongings and headed out to board its bus. But this time the statement was much more than common courtesy. It was the truth. In its most dominating performance of the season, the Penn women's swimming team destroyed Swarthmore yesterday at Sheerr Pool, 131-62, for its first victory of the year. The meet opened, and for that matter ended, with the 200-yard medley relay. Once Quakers sophomore Emily Montes jumped off the blocks, she got off to a lead that Penn (1-7) would never relinquish. As backstroker Montes completed her portion of the relay, she gave Jen Marzullo a slight edge going into the butterfly. Marzullo relinquished a bit of the lead and Thu Doan was gained on as well during the breaststroke. But when Christy Meyer hit the water, any doubts of a Swarthmore comeback were eliminated. After her first three strokes, it was apparent victory was secure. Meyer took a convincing lead into the final turn, and as she completed the final 25 yards, Swarthmore's Alice Unger realized any comeback would have to wait for another meet. After the Quakers displayed their sprinting prowess, it was time to show they could perform equally as well in the distance events. In the mile, an event that requires each swimmer to span the length of the pool 66 times, sophomore Gillian Morris showed the determination that has made her one of Penn's most consistent swimmers all season. Morris's endurance helped her pull away from her three Swarthmore opponents on lap 40 to cruise in two full laps ahead of the next finisher. It was the first time Morris swam the mile since early in high school. Her victory was a direct result of the rigorous training the Quakers have been through this year. "This was a remarkable victory because we held a morning workout today," Penn coach Kathy-Lawlor Gilbert said. "We made it a point of training straight through Swarthmore. But it's tough. You get tempted to deviate from your plan and risk a loss to Swarthmore, but then you realize you have to do what's best for your team. You can't worry about what the other team is doing." After the mile, it was again time for the sprinters to sparkle. A pair of Penn freshmen placed first and second in the lightning-fast 50-yard freestyle, with Meyer finishing just ahead of Doan. For the first time all season, the hard work and training was finally showing up in black and white. Also, by placing three freshmen in the same event, the coaches showed they have grown comfortable with the team's youth. The onslaught continued into the 200 individual-medley. Penn put out its three premier sophomore swimmers -- and they did not disappoint. Natalie Wolfinger and Emily Montes were neck-and-neck going into the final 50 yards. As they made the transition from the breaststroke to the freestyle, it appeared Wolfinger made a decision to show no mercy on her teammate. With a burst in the first 15 yards, Wolfinger pulled away to win by 1.5 seconds. As the meet wore on, the Quakers showed no signs of letting up. With victories in every event, it was clear Penn was swimming with confidence and having fun doing it. Despite murmurs in the crowd saying the vanquished Garnets are nothing more than a Division III school, the win was anything but tainted. Swarthmore was 10-1 going into the meet and had three swimmers compete in the Division III championships last year. "It would have been better if we could say we beat a Division I school," freshman Jen Marzullo said of her first collegiate victory. "But its nice to no longer have that 'zero' in the win column. Now we have that 'one.' " That "one" represents more than a victory. It represents a starting point Penn can use as a foundation during its important rebuilding process.