Penn heads to Easterns

Quakers hope to finish fourth at championships Although Penn swimmer junior Jeff Brown is undefeated this season in one of the strongest leagues in the country, he is not guaranteed a berth in the NCAA Division I Championships. To reach that level, he will have to swim faster than he has all season in the next three days at the Eastern Championships. Starting today, teams from the entire Ivy League plus Army and Navy will converge at Harvard's Blodgett Pool for Easterns, the league championship meet for the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League. Generally, half the winners of individual events goes on to the NCAAs. Brown was denied a berth last year, even though he won both the 200-yard butterfly and the 200 freestyle. This year, he has a chance to make it in either one of those two events, as well as the 500 freestyle. "Here, the object is not to win your race, like it is at dual meets," Brown said. "The object is to swim as fast as you can -- to swim against the clock. Individual results are important, but our focus will be on the team." After finishing 10th out of 11 teams last year, the Quakers have a chance to finish as high as fourth this year, according to Brown. League powerhouses Harvard and Princeton will likely claim the top two spots, while Navy will probably snag third on the strength of its diving squad. After that, it is anyone's meet. "It'll be a dogfight," Brown said. "All the teams are pretty evenly matched, with the exception of Brown and Dartmouth. What we have to do is pretty straightforward -- we have to swim great and our relays have to be solid, because relays can carry your team." First place in a relay is worth twice as many points as a victory in an individual event. The Quakers freestyle corps in one of the strongest in the conference and should have no problem placing high in the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle relays. "Our free relays will be devastating," Quakers sophomore Colin Robinson said. "Our medley relays won't be as strong, but they'll probably make the top eight. " Twenty-four athletes will race in each individual event, with the top eight advancing to the finals. The next eight will swim in a consolation race, where the swimmers can still score points for the team. "Our big guns need to get into the finals, and the other guys must sneak into the consolation finals to grab points wherever they can," Brown said. "Every point adds up," Robinson added. "Everyone's going for it. I wouldn't even count Columbia out. Even a team like Brown, who doesn't have a lot of guys, can be a threat if they swim well. For the first time this season, there won't be any tricky lineups or coaching strategies -- just every swimmer in his best events. All teams are ready to go."