M. Swimming heads to Bucknell

If attitude can make or break a team, the Penn men's swimming team is on its way to a memorable season. Positivity emanated from Penn coach Mike Schnur during practice yesterday. Smiling, he summed up his feelings going into this weekend's two-day meet at Bucknell with the confidence he hopes to pass on to his squad. "We're looking forward to it," Schnur said. "This is an opportunity to swim an NCAA program of events, events we usually don't get to do. It's a chance to find some hidden talents." Penn freshman Eric Hirschhorn echoed his coach's enthusiasm. "I'm just excited to be swimming in college and having a good time," Hirschhorn said. "Training with such good guys motivates everyone, and coach Schnur makes it easy to come to the pool every day." Hirschhorn and his fellow freshmen are part of the reason for Schnur's optimism. According to the Penn head man, Bucknell's five or six top swimmers are as good as the Red and Blue swimmers, but the Bison lack the Quakers' depth. So far this season, Penn's freshmen have lived up to expectations, helping the Quakers defeat Cornell in their opening meet of the year. This weekend, the Quakers' underclassmen will have a chance to prove themselves in untested waters. Penn will be swimming the 1,650-yard freestyle -- the longest event in men's swimming -- as well as the 400 IM. This order of events is the same as that of the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League Championships, but the Quakers will not see this program in any other meet until Easterns in March. For Schnur, seeing some of the younger members of the team in events they have not yet swum is a chance to evaluate their abilities in new areas. The opponents on tap for this weekend's two-day meet in Lewisville, Pa., are Bucknell and SUNY-Binghamton. Bucknell is likely to provide the stiffer competition of the two, but the Bison are not expected to challenge Penn to the degree that the other members of the EISL would. Penn junior captain Ian Bowman sees this weekend as a chance for the Quakers to get back into the swing of things. "Thanksgiving break was a good chance to regenerate and get ready to go," Bowman said. "We're just looking to get some momentum this weekend to swing us into Columbia." The Red and Blue will square off against Columbia, one of its biggest rivals, the following weekend in New York. In this highly anticipated matchup against the Lions, the Quakers will face a lot more pressure. In the meantime, the meet at Bucknell this weekend is an opportunity to get fast times in events that Penn does not usually swim. The Quakers need good times in these events in order to be seeded well at Easterns. This weekend is also a chance for Schnur and his squad to make use of the confidence that pervades the team at the moment. Training under Schnur's tireless smile, the Quakers are looking toward their promising future. "We will be a much better team six weeks from now," Schnur said. "Every day is a step toward that goal."

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