W. Swimming frosh to test unfriendly waters

Penn will have its first road meet, visiting Colgate this weekend. After defeating Swarthmore on Monday, the Penn women's swimming team is looking forward to this weekend's Colgate Invitational. The freshmen, in particular, are looking forward to the race because it is their first away meet. "It's good to be swimming in someone else's pool. It's a change of view and not so much like practice," Quakers breaststroker Heather Wilder said. "It's good because it's the last meet before break and finals. We can just go for it and see where we're at." The upperclassmen on the team have long doted on the talent of the freshmen, claiming that what they bring to the team has made up for the talent lost to graduation last spring. The Colgate Invite will feature Penn, Yale, Marist and the host Red Raiders. Since there are so many teams, the meet will be divided into three sessions, one tomorrow and two on Saturday. Additionally, there will be two heats for each event, a first for Penn swimmers this season. Such a spread-out schedule will allow the swimmers more time to rest between events. Penn, Marist and Colgate will shave for the meet, trying to get their best possible times. "It's good that we're going to shave because I think that it's a good opportunity to make us feel fast in the water," Wilder said. "And since we're coming down in yardage [from practice], it will be particularly effective." "We got some really great freshman swimmers this year, including past national qualifiers," Quakers backstroker Jenn Triolo said. "I think that some of them have a chance of winning this weekend." Freshman Jenn Walsh, for example, was a junior national qualifier in the 200-meter breaststroke, the 200 butterfly and the 400 individual medley. Also, Jamie Taylor won the 1,000 freestyle at last year's Eastern Championships. Penn coach Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert gave the team a pep talk about good attitude. A positive attitude along with the proper training is key, she said. "She's right; attitude is everything," Taylor said. "When I get into the pool, I have to think, 'I own these girls.' " Although Lawlor-Gilbert's relationship with the team was not always ideal in the past, this year's team now credits much of their success to her. "She has stood by this women's team when they had no more than a dozen swimmers and competition was an embarrassment, and she is still able to greet each and every workout with the most positive attitude I've ever seen," Quakers backstroker Lauren Ballough said. "She has done a lot of great things for us just in the one-and-a-half seasons I have been here. She recruits kids that she thinks would be an asset to our team chemistry -- not just fast swimmers. Although our record doesn't reflect it, we are improving." Many freshmen have recorded personal bests within their first season at Penn. Taylor, for example, has cut her 500 free time by almost five seconds. In just the first two meets, the relay teams have matched last year's season bests. "They're an outstanding group and really hard trainers," said Lawlor-Gilbert of the freshmen. "The other teams will definitely present a challenge. Brown won Easterns last year and is expected to repeat, but Yale may topple them. Yale is a very, very, very strong team."