Colors to clash in Sheerr pool tomorrow

M. Swimming will kick off its season against the Big Red. It will be a clash of colors at the steamy and over-chlorinated Sheerr Pool Saturday, when the Red and Blue host the Big Red of Cornell in the opening meet of the men's 1996-97 swim season. By winning this heated Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League dual meet, the Quakers hope to get off to a fast and aggressive start to their season. For the seniors, Saturday will represent a final opportunity to defeat a Cornell squad which has won the previous three season opening meets by ever decreasing margins. "There is a history with the juniors and seniors going into this meet," Penn coach Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert said. "We've moved up the ladder in the league and they want to beat teams they haven't in the past. They know what to expect. The seniors have experienced a tri-meet with Yale and Cornell the past three years. This year, though, we have a chance to race one on one with Cornell." After an entire fall of practice, the team is ready to stop racing among themselves and start facing competition. "As far as it being the first meet, I'm real anxious," senior Jon Levine said. "This will be our first real competition and we're all itching to see how the team is shaping up." The five seniors on this year's Quakers team create a strong level of leadership that fuels the team's preparation. "You have [the strong senior] prospective which filters through to the rest of the team," Lawlor-Gilbert said. "It gives me an edge to have an upper-class group upon which I can depend so heavily. When I give talks there is a reinforcement with their work ethic. It is a great thing to have as a coach." Lawlor-Gilbert was quick to point out, however, that come race time, everyone, and not just the seniors, will be relied upon to score key points. "The power in the meet comes from all four classes and diving too," Lawlor-Gilbert said. "The freshmen will be a huge impact, and so will the sophomores and the juniors and the seniors. It's the first time in a long while that I have a balanced attack. It's a good hard-charging group." The Quakers are enthusiastic and excited at the start of the season, and are quite anxious to begin their opener against rival Cornell. The opportunity to finally defeat their nemesis adds to the intensity of Saturday's meet. "We are looking to send a message early," sophomore Jon Carroll said. "We want to get going early. We are looking to have a strong year."

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