Swimming finds leader in Holland

Hard-working sophomore Cathy Holland has emerged as a force on the Penn women's swimming team. Before this season began, Penn women's swimming assistant coach Michael Schnur was well aware of his team's strengths. "We have good breaststrokers and I like our chances in anything Cathy Holland swims," he said in November, before the team's first meet of the year against Cornell at Sheerr Pool. Holland proved Schnur right very quickly, winning the 1,000-yard freestyle and 200-yard individual medley events that day. The Quakers, however, lost the meet, which they were expecting to be their first Ivy League victory since 1993. "I think that the toughest loss was that Cornell meet," Holland said. "We were really focused on that meet, and really believed that we could beat them. It was really disappointing when we didn't. We really all had to re-focus our energy after that one." As the team regrouped, Holland, a sophomore, emerged as a team leader, especially for Penn's 15 freshmen -- the most in team history. "She's had a lot of influence [on my swimming]," Penn newcomer Kay O'Meara said. "She's very determined and works her butt off every day. "I feel like a lot of the time she cares more about how I swim than she does about her own swimming." Perhaps the most important aspect of Holland's leadership is that it is present every day. There is never a letdown in intensity, never a sense that she or the team will fail. "The best thing she's done is that she's brought that sense of can-do, that sense of competitiveness, the never say die," Penn coach Kathy Lawlor-Gilbert said. "Cathy brings that spirit to every single workout." "And Cathy is a fantastic workout swimmer," Schnur added. Holland, however, is not only an inspiration to her teammates during daily practices. She is also up for every meet, no matter how long the odds. "I was really thrilled with her performance at Columbia," Lawlor-Gilbert said. "She really didn't have a lot of sleep before going up there because of some academic things that she had to do. "That's where a lot of the people on the team were really impressed. She went up there, and had to swim a mile, because we had replaced the 1,000 with that 1,650 before going up there. So she swam the mile and swam her lifetime best by 10 seconds. That made a huge impact on the team." Although her studies deprived her of sleep before the meet against the Lions, Holland is very happy with her choice to come to Penn. "I love Penn, and anytime anyone asks me, I tell them so," Holland said. "I think the people here are great, the classes here are incredible and I absolutely love swimming for Penn." Given Holland's present love for the University, it seems unbelievable that at this time two years ago the Wilmington, Del., native had all but rejected the idea of spending four years with the Red and Blue. "I was looking through the college materials, and I put Penn in the 'no' pile," Holland said. "It didn't seem like a school where I would really fit in. I wasn't sure about being in Philadelphia, in the city, so I just put it in the 'no' pile." At that point, the tide started to turn. Penn stepped up its effort to recruit a swimmer who is now one of its best. "People would ask me where I wanted to go, and I told them the schools that I was applying to, but that I wouldn't want to go to Penn," Holland said. "But, I got in and Mike Schnur called and asked me if I wanted to come on a recruiting trip. I kind of figured 'Why should I bother?' if I'm not going to go there anyway, but I decided to come." Holland's visit fell at precisely the right time and Penn women's swimming is that much the better for it. "I came during Spring Fling weekend and I had the best time," Holland said. "Everyone was so nice, it was great. After meeting everyone on the team, I knew that I would fit in here and that this was definitely the place that I wanted to go. So I sent my 'yes' reply the day I got back from the recruiting trip." Since arriving at Penn, Holland has shined brightly enough for the entire Ivy League to take notice. "She's a really tough swimmer and I know that I have to send my best swimmers out there against her," Dartmouth coach Joann Brislin said. Last season, Holland broke a 10-year-old team mark in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:33.7. Despite being the only current member of the team to hold a Penn record, Holland remains humble. "It's a bonus and of course it's nice to have your name on the record board," Holland said. "But I never go out there and say, 'Oh, I want to break this record.'" Despite Holland's vast personal success, Penn has still not won any meets in the Ivy League. Holland, however, does not view this as a measure of whether the team is successful. "I would never say that the team hasn't had overall success," Holland said. "We're so much stronger this season than last, in and out of the water. I think a lot of the time, even if you have a winning record, you can have an unsuccessful team. We have such great morale, and everything is positive. I would say that we're incredibly successful. "And I know that we're going to win next year -- not just one meet. We're going to win a few." With the indomitable spirit she brings to the team, as well as continued improvement, there's every reason to believe that Cathy Holland will soon have a taste of both individual and team success.