M. Swimming's seniors to say goodbye

The senior tri-captains of the men's swimming team -- Graham Rigby, Brian Cohen and Paul Poggi -- will compete in Sheerr Pool for the last time at this weekend's meet against Harvard. This is not their final meet, however, since all three seniors -- along with 15 other teammates -- will be competing in the Eastern Championships. The matchup with Harvard, however, is the last dual meet of the regular season. Harvard (8-0 overall, 6-0 Ivy League) has proven to be the best team in the Ivies and is ranked among the top 15 teams in the nation. Throughout the season, the Crimson have beaten the other Ivy League teams, as well as Army and Navy, by considerable margins. Since the Crimson are the defending Eastern and Ivy champions, the Quakers (9-7 overall, 3-3 Ivy League) are not expecting to win. Instead, the team is more concerned with personal improvements. "We want to focus on the guys not going to Easterns," assistant coach Mike Schnur said. "The younger guys will have a chance to swim their best and walk away from the meet satisfied with their performances." For the swimmers going to Easterns, this meet will be more of a workout than a competition. Some men will be swimming "off" events while others will relax in their normal events. "The team going to Easterns has already been made up, so there are no places left to battle for," Poggi said. "We are going to try to enjoy the meet." Despite the relaxed attitude of many of the swimmers, their competitive spirit and team support will not be lacking. "I am going to take it upon myself to make sure the team supports everyone and provides an enthusiastic and fun environment," Rigby said. This weekend will bring an end to the seniors' home meets. Upholding a Quakers tradition, the three seniors will swim together in the last relay of this meet. "We want to send them out the proper way and give them the honor that they deserve," Schnur said. Since there are still 2 1/2 weeks left in the season, the seniors feel that this is not really the time to get sentimental. But it is the last event that the entire team will be together. Poggi and Rigby responded in different ways when they were asked about their best memories of swimming at Penn. "I'm not going to miss waking up for early morning practices nor the hard work," Poggi said. "I will miss being part of a team and the feeling of camaraderie. The team makes up my circle of friends." Rigby quoted his coach when expressing his own sentiments. "The best times were when the team experienced 'flashes of brilliance' and pulled together to beat such teams as Columbia and Cornell," Rigby said. "I did it for those moments." Although this weekend's competition will not necessarily end with a win for the Quakers, it should be an exciting one for the younger swimmers and a memorable one for the seniors.