M. Swimming visits talented Midshipmen

When the Penn men's swimming team travels to Annapolis, Md., tomorrow to face Navy tomorrow, it will face an athlete that may possibly be Atlanta bound. Many NCAA Division I men's swimming teams feature more than just the top collegiate talent in the country. The best squads have athletes on their rosters that compete and win at the national and world levels. The world 400-meter individual medley champion and record holder, Tom Dolan, swims for Michigan. Dolan is headed for the United States Olympic Trials March 7. So is Navy diver Nate Smith. Smith, a member of the U.S. National team, has not lost at a dual meet since he began his collegiate career in 1992. The senior finished fifth on the 10-meter platform at the NCAA Championships last spring and duplicated that result over the summer at the World University Games. "I think it's just a thrill to compete against him, I'm looking forward to it," said Penn diver C.J. Sipowicz. "It's a joy just to watch him." For the past four years, Smith has dominated diving in the Eastern Interscholastic Swimming League. Last year, he won both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events at Easterns. "It's going to be a bittersweet ending," Sipowicz said. "On one hand it's a shame that I'll never be able to compete against him, but he's had a lock on the league for four years. It'll be nice to see him go." Not so fast. If Smith is the king of EISL diving, then Junior Midshipman Mark Fowler is at least the heir apparent. This combination wreaked havoc on the league last year, finishing 1-2 in ten consecutive dual meets. Fowler finished third at Easterns last year in the 1-meter event. So far, Navy (6-0, 4-0 EISL) has coasted through the first half of its season, with wins over Cornell, Yale, and Army. The Quakers (4-2, 4-2) haven't lost a dual meet since Nov. 21 against perennial powerhouse Princeton. "With the possible exception of Princeton, they're the strongest competitors we've had so far," Penn captain Jeff Brown said. "We're going in with the goal of winning. On paper, we have the talent to beat them. Navy has a swimmer that can compete with us in almost every single event. And all those races will go down to the wire." Brown, who has yet to be defeated this season, matches up well against Navy sophomore Britton Smith. Like Brown, Smith has been dominating the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events. The two met twice last year, with Brown winning both races. "Jeffrey will be challenged," Penn coach Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert said. "All the freestyle events will be good ones. We're going to give them a really good meet." Navy carries one important advantage into the meet. The Midshipmen are used to swimming their races in meters. For the first time this season, the Quakers' races will be in meters instead of yards, since one lap of Navy's pool measures 25 meters. This conversion will add five or six seconds to the 100 free, 10 or 12 to the 200 free, and so on. "It's not a big deal. It's mostly psychological," Brown said. "The fact that the races will be longer lingers in your mind, and they're going to have a better feel for the pool. "It's going to be tough. Navy's well rested. They're looking to preserve their perfect dual meet record and possibly challenge Harvard and Princeton for the league title. For us, this meet will be good preparation for Easterns. It will be a good time to take care of the little details that matter."