MEN'S SWIMMING SEASON PREVIEW: M. Swimming looks to be competitive

The last several years have not been kind to the Penn men's swimming team, but this year's mix of talented freshmen and experienced upperclassmen could finally propel the Red and Blue out of the basement of the Ivy League. Although they do not have the strength this year to challenge perennial powerhouses Harvard and Princeton at the summit, the Quakers have the potential to charge back into the top half of the standings. The Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League, which comprises the eight Ivy League schools plus Army and Navy, is a tough conference. Harvard and Princeton often scoop up the best recruits nationwide each year. Last year, the Quakers finished a disappointing 10th at the season-ending Easterns, finishing ahead of only Dartmouth.(See the full results from Easterns on page 12.) It's pretty much a given that Harvard, Princeton and a surging Navy team will occupy the top three spots in the standings this year. But it's going to be a dogfight for fourth between Yale, Cornell, and perhaps Penn. "We want to take a jump up instead of a step up," said team captain Jeff Brown. Brown, the defending league champion in the 200 butterfly, returns this season after competing in three events in last summer's Senior National Championships. Other key returnees for Penn are senior Geoff Munger, junior Ken Fletcher, sophomores Rob Hassett and Colin Robinson, and diver Josh Schultz.. "This is going to be the best season we've had in a while," Penn assistant coach Mike Schnur said. "We've got a lot of depth this year. We've got 28 guys, and I've got confidence in all 28 guys." Ten of those 28 comprise one of the best recruiting classes the Quakers have had in a while. These freshmen are expected to have an immediate impact on the program. "It'll be really important that they adjust," Schnur said. "They're going to have to get used to competing more often and to swimming fast every Saturday." Two of the incoming freshmen, Ryan Kafer and Brian Cohen, were first-team all-Americans in high school last year. Kafer won two events this summer at the Junior National Championships. His time of 140.6 seconds in the 200 freestyle was good enough to qualify for the Senior National Championships. "Two years ago we graduated a senior, Rob Morris, who had the ability to step up and win at dual meets when we really needed him to, and Ryan will step into his place," Brown said. "No one else recruited a sprinter as good as him." Freshman Kevin Riley, who also qualified for the Junior Nationals last year, should provide some power in the distance events, where Penn has traditionally been weak. The Quakers' strength lies in the sprints. With sprinters the caliber of Brown and Kafer, Penn should be able to put together relay teams that can compete against the likes of Princeton and Harvard. Another key weapon will be the versatile Robinson, who can swim any event asked of him. "Colin is a tough Philadelphia swimmer," Brown said. "He'll step up and beat kids that he's not necessarily better than. Intense is a good word to describe him. He gets more and more aggressive as the race develops, and he won't let anyone beat him." "Colin is the emotional core of this team," Schnur said. "He's a team leader outside and inside the pool. Our real strength will be the sophomores and juniors -- they are going to lead this team this year." The dissension that has been plaguing the men's swim team for the past few years seems to have melted away. Two years ago, several swimmers quit the team after disputes with Penn coach Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert. There are no such complaints this time around. "Right now we have a great recruiting class and we're going to focus on where we are now," Brown said.