Season Preview: Jeff Brown to lead M. Swimming

The senior co-captain was an NCAA qualifier last year. With senior co-captain Jeff Brown leading the way, the Penn men's swim team are expecting big things this season, starting with Cornell on Saturday. The meet will match up the two evenly placed teams, which both finished last season in the middle of the Ivy League ranks. Brown is entering his final year after a near flawless season last year. The Penn senior consistently finished in the top since his freshman year. During the season, he had the best times in the conference for the 500-meter freestyle (4:23.69) and the 200-meter fly (1:48.83). He was undefeated in the 200-meter butterfly, and qualified for the NCAA championships in the 200- and 500-meter freestyle and the 200 fly. He lost only once in the 200-meter free, coming in second at the Eastern Championships. Brown's efforts were a major reason the team improved to 6-5 last season, from a 3-10 campaign two seasons ago. "We have come a long way since my freshman year," Brown said. "The senior class takes quite a bit of pride in what we have done." Brown believes that the team as a whole has taken a big step forward in its attitude and aggressiveness towards a sport, in which practice sessions have been equated with drudgery by the swimmers. "The team wants to swim hard, they like to compete, and they exemplify the mental attitude that they need to win," Brown said. Junior Colin Robinson, the Quakers other co-captain, is likewise optimistic about the upcoming season. "We have the strongest team since I have been here and we've really come together since September," he said. "We plan on beating the teams we didn't last year." Penn coach Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert is a bit more cautious about the predicting the outcome of the season. "We have a young team, so I am uncomfortable in saying anything about it. I believe its important not to spell out the expectations," she said. After graduating two swimmers and a diver, the Quakers will have to rely on the talent of the freshmen, who the team feels have a lot of potential. With this new depth, the team now has the opportunity to improve in the relays. "They will help us take a step forward," Brown said. "We can now take down some of the standing team records in the relays." The meet against Cornell should give the team an indication of where it stands. "Last year the meet included Yale, who we couldn't beat, but this year we can focus on Cornell, who we're equally matched with event to event, we have always been dependent on them," senior Ken Fletcher said.