W. Swimming tops Dartmouth

Seniors Cathy Holland, Katie Kowalski and Patty Walshaw led the Penn women's swimming team to a victory against Dartmouth on Saturday, 200-167, but they could not end their home careers on a perfect note, as the Quakers fell to Yale, 158-131. Penn paid tribute to the trio of seniors in an emotional good-bye to Sheerr Pool before the meet. "It is nice to recognize our seniors," Penn coach Mike Schnur said. "They are great women and once they stopped crying, they did very well." The seniors recorded solid swims that boosted the rest of the Quakers' motivation. Cathy Holland won the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:26.99 and Patty Walshaw won the 200 IM against Dartmouth. "I was really excited for Patty [Walshaw] because she did so excellent," Penn freshman Ashley Rader said. "It was great to see her do so well." Although the Quakers were unable to beat the Elis, they were competitive. "We went in there with the faith that we would beat Dartmouth and with the expectation that we would get up and beat Yale," Holland said. "We definitely accomplished what we wanted to." Last year, the Red and Blue just barely beat out Dartmouth, winning in the last few races. This year, however, was a completely different story. Penn jumped out to an early lead by taking first and second in the 200 medley relay. Quakers freshman Kathleen Holthaus dominated the long-distance events, winning the 1,000 freestyle in 10:27.98 and the 500 freestyle in 5:07.26. Fellow Penn freshman Linda Fescoe took both the 50 and the 100 freestyle. Against Yale, Penn fell just 27 points short, which gives the Quakers some hope for the future. "I definitely think we can catch up to Yale at some point," Rader said. "We've done tremendous things this year and with all the great recruits Mike [Schnur] is bringing in next year, we should build up our team even more." Penn will end its regular-season schedule this weekend against La Salle. The Quakers will then face Dartmouth and Yale again -- among other Ancient Eight teams -- in the Ivy League Championships at Princeton on February 22-24. "I think what everybody was saying during the meet was just, 'Look how far we've come since last year,'" senior tri-captain Holland said. "To see where we were freshman year and where we are now is absolutely incredible."

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