Sun shines on W. Swimming

After spending a week basking in the Florida sunshine, the Penn women's swimming team showed that hard work pays off, as they competed well down south and in their return match against Army. Coach Mike Schnur and his squad traveled to Florida during winter break for a week of intense training. Unlike most tourists, the Quakers didn't go to sit around the pool or lay out on the beach. This trip was about hard work and preparation for the upcoming months. The Red and Blue trained at least four hours a day in the pool and an additional hour daily on dry land. "It was definitely hard work," Schnur said. "It was more yardage than we've done all season, but it paid off." The sunshine and fresh air were all the more enjoyable when compared to the cramped quarters in the pool at Gimbel gymnasium. "When you are training outdoors, it means you're breathing better, you're swimming faster and you're getting the opportunity to be in a new place," Schnur said. "Plus, it allows the coaches to make the team work harder." That hard work has already paid dividends, as the Penn women have already shown dramatic improvement. In Florida, the team had a chance to swim against four competitive teams -- Nebraska, Purdue, Virginia Tech and Florida Atlantic. Against these tough, Division I scholarship squads, the Quakers demonstrated just how far they have come. "We battled these teams and really attacked them," Schnur said. "Some of our teams in the past would have just given up, they wouldn't have even tried." Instead, The Red and Blue placed first in the 200-meter freestyle relay and beat Florida Atlantic. "We competed well and we didn't get blown away,"captain April Fletcher said. "Seeing really fast swimmers and competing on that level is always fun. It was definitely motivational." In addition, the team was able to bond over the trip. "Being in a hotel together meant that we really had to do everything together," captain Cathy Holland said. "I think that helps to facilitate even more team bonding than we would have had back here." The Penn women returned to Philadelphia for a few last days of training and then headed to West Point, N.Y., to face Army, whom they defeated 145.5-97.5. "We had never won up there before," Schnur said. "It was nice to have our first opportunity for that." The team did not rest between training and the Army meet, meaning many of the swimmers entered the meet tired. Freshman Becky Shore had an impressive meet, placing second in the 1,000-meter freestyle and the 400 individual medley. She also took first in the 200 breaststroke, an event she has only swam once this season. Fellow freshman Kathleen Holthaus place first in both the 500 and 1,000 freestyle events. "People really stepped up for this meet," Fletcher said. "We didn't have any trouble beating them." The Red and Blue will now concentrate on the last part of the swimming season. Instead of long distance workouts, the squad will focus more on speed in its races. "We're basically looking towards the end of the season," Holland said. "We're working on speed work after all this hard training we've put in." As far as the Ivy League Championships, the Quakers expect to improve. "We'll move up in the standings," Schnur said. "Last year we were last, and we're not going to do that again."

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