M. Swimming thrashes Swarthmore in preparation for La Salle Invitational

With a 127-71 thrashing of Swarthmore Wednesday evening, the Penn men's swimming team posted its first victory of the season. After losses to league rivals Cornell and Princeton in the season's first two meets, Penn defeated the Garnet Tide in its last dual meet until January 10, when it faces Rutgers. The Quakers (1-2) did not need top-notch performances to beat Division III Swarthmore (5-1), and Penn coach Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert took advantage of this uneven matchup by placing several swimmers in different events. "Since Swarthmore is not Division I, they were not that much of a challenge," Lawlor-Gilbert said. "We moved some swimmers around, and it worked well." Lawlor-Gilbert was pleased with several freshmen who showed considerable talent in new events. Vinnie Connors, also a butterfly swimmer, took first in both the 100- and 200-yard freestyle, and Matt Dicker, who specializes in the backstroke, placed first in the 500 free. "It wasn't that tough against Swarthmore, but the meet helped us get ready for this weekend," Connors said. This weekend is the La Salle Invitational (Philadelphia Open), in which Penn faces seven other schools from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. According to Lawlor-Gilbert, this invitational meet, which features every event from Easterns in less than two days, is "a real test of toughness for the team." Most of the other teams are totally rested and shaved for this meet, which starts tonight at 5 p.m. at La Salle. The Quakers do not have this advantage coming off the Swarthmore meet. "We have to bear down since we will not be totally shaved," Lawlor-Gilbert said. "It will be a real test of grit." Despite this disadvantage, Lawlor-Gilbert expects her team to perform well. Only able to enter 24 spots, Penn looks to its top swimmers to excel as they did against Swarthmore. This group includes senior captain Colin Robinson, who set a pool record of four minutes, 18.89 seconds in the 400-yard individual medley on Wednesday, and Kevin Reilly, the winner of the 200 butterfly. Lawlor-Gilbert was pleased not only with the performances of her young swimmers against the Garnet Tide, but also with those of the established team leaders. "Not only did guys get to try new events, but we also had guys get tough on events they need to be tough on this weekend," Lawlor-Gilbert said. As the Red and Blue enters the La Salle Invitational, Lawlor-Gilbert is anxious to see how the Quakers swim with only one day to rest between meets. "If we can go in there and swim our best times unshaved, we will be in great shape for the rest of the season," she said.