W. Swimming uses easy Swarthmore meet as a tune-up for this weekend

The Garnet offered a chance to race in a relaxed atmosphere, giving Penn a good start after the break. For the Penn women's swimming team, yesterday's meet against Swarthmore was a warm-up for the Colgate Invitational this weekend. The Quakers won the meet, 172-140, and were especially proud of their team effort. "It was a lot of fun and a chance to race in a fun atmosphere," Penn co-captain Christine Meyer said. "When we come back from Thanksgiving break, it's tough to get into the groove again. This meet allowed us to get in the water and realize where we are. We are getting ready for our big meet this weekend." The atmosphere at Penn's Sheerr Pool was indicative of the race itself. There were few spectators, and those who did attend cheered only occasionally for their friends' events. Every once in a while, those shouts interrupted by words of encouragement by teammates. In general, though, it was as if two teams were sharing a practice pool, not competing in an official meet. The contest was, in fact, different from most. The divers did not participate at all, and the swimmers swam events which they usually do not race. For example, Alycia Kaufman who is usually a breaststroker, swam the 500-yard freestyle. Additionally, there were some unofficial events which Penn entered with one too few swimmers. Such a relaxed atmosphere allowed the swimmers to focus on their individual strengths and weaknesses. The event was so low key, in fact, that no one seemed bothered by the fact that a faulty clock resulted in inaccurate times. Penn had a strong showing and came in first in all 10 events except the 800 freestyle relay. Particularly notable was the 1,500-yard freestyle relay. Sophomore Dani Joslin and freshmen Alycia Kaufman and Jamie Taylor each swam 500 yards of the tiring distance event. Joslin started strong, and Kaufman continued her lead and widened the gap between herself and the two Garnet swimmers. Taylor furthered increased Penn's lead and finished one-and-a-half laps before the first Swarthmore team and nine laps ahead of the second. "The girls really said it all," Quakers coach Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert said. "This meet gives them the opportunity to get ready to compete this weekend -- it's a really tough one. Some kids are really sick, so they just wanted to swim one event just to get back in the water." Penn's expectations for yesterday's meet were broad. The team was concentrating more on long-term goals than on specific performances for the Swarthmore meet. In a meet at which there was minimal pressure, the Quakers hoped to get back into swimming mode, to have a good time and to start to get focused for the Colgate Invite. "We all got to swim different events. We also had some fake or unofficial events. They, like the meet, were to have fun and practice," Penn sophomore Jennifer Triolo said. "We had a lot of faith in each other and pulled together as a team."