W. Swimming drubs Harvard

Coach Mike Schnur, who has been involved with Penn's swimming program since 1984, cannot remember the last time the Penn women's swimming team defeated Harvard in the pool. But the last time the Crimson finished ahead of the Quakers in the final Ivy League standings was in the 1983-84 season. Either way, it has certainly been a long time. But that drought is over, as Schnur led the Red and Blue to a 167-133 victory over Harvard yesterday. As Penn heads into another rigorous cycle of training, the win is just the motivation the team needs to stay focused. "I don't think anybody on this team ever conceived that we would beat Harvard this season," Schnur said. "This was definitely the best win that I have ever been a part of." Harvard has notoriously trounced Penn in the past years, winning by huge margins. And those margins haven't exactly spawned any love, as the Quakers upperclassmen hold a bit of a grudge against the Crimson. "Last year Harvard ran up the score on us and basically laughed in our faces," junior captain Devin McGlynn said. "So we came out to show them that we are a good team and they can no longer push us around." The Quakers are continually proving to their Ivy League foes that they are a changed team. With the help of a quick freshman class, Penn has already demonstrated its improvement over past years. "This win was absolutely amazing," senior captain Cathy Holland said. "I think this points to all of the good things going on with our team and is an indication of our improvement." As they did last weekend against Bucknell and Binghamton, the Red and Blue turned in a set of fast times. Three more school records were broken. Rader set a new Penn record in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:06.68, breaking freshman teammate Jennifer Block's one-day-old record. Block set the record in Friday's meet against Columbia and finished less than one second behind Rader yesterday. Freshman Linda Fescoe posted a new record in the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.99. Holland claimed her third record of the season in the 200 breaststroke in 2:23.04, with Block once again close behind. "We are all at about the same level," Holland said. "I am just as happy when the other girls break records too." Penn had another strong showing last Friday against Columbia. The Red and Blue ended up just 66 points behind the Lions, 183-117. "Columbia is a fairly tough pool to swim in, but we swam amazingly well," Holland said. "It was exactly what we wanted to do. Everyone posted their best times and we really competed with them." The Quakers are enthusiastic as they head into the spring semester. The Quakers hope to continue their success in the Ivy League and also defeat their upcoming, out-of-league foes. "Knowing that we beat Harvard give us the confidence we need," Rader said. "Now we're excited to start next semester."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.