History could be in the making for this year's Penn women's swimming team.
Coming off a program-best fifth-place finish at last year's Ivy League Championship, Penn returns several key contributors to a squad that will attempt to meet Coach Mike Schnur's lofty goals.
"Having our highest-ever finish at Ivy's last year was just a stepping stone," Schnur said. "Our goal is to be in the top three [this year] and everyone knows that."
Integral to reaching that objective is sophomore Megan Carlin, who broke the school record in both the 100-meter and 200m breaststroke last winter.
As she was bothered by a number of illnesses this fall, however, it remains to be seen when Carlin will be at top strength.
"What [Carlin] brings to team, when she's healthy, is the idea that we're going to win every race she swims," Schnur said. "She's gone through some health issues, but as soon as she gets back to her normal self, she's going to dominate."
Helping to pick up the slack will be juniors Cammie Villarreal and Stephanie Colson.
Villarreal, the team's top distance swimmer, has been asked to replace some of the production lost from graduate Maureen Schriver.
As for the sprinters, Colson has the unenviable task of following former league champion Kathryn Stores, who graduated with the team record in both the 100m and 200m freestyle under her belt.
Colson "is going to be key for us this year," Schnur said. "She's been our best sprinter and really leads our relays ... She'll be one of the best swimmers in the league."
Also promising for the team's outlook is a freshman class that Schnur thinks is the best in his six-year tenure with the team.
"Our team has a lot more depth than last year," co-captain Laura Hotaling said. "Instead of having one or two top swimmers, we have three or four in every event that can consistently score points for us."
Still, despite the improvements, it will be tough for Penn to compete with perennial powerhouses Harvard and Princeton -- two squads that crushed the Quakers in last year's dual meets.
Penn will look to get off on the right foot tomorrow with home meets against Rider and Lehigh at Sheerr Pool. The Quakers then travel to Princeton for a matchup with the Tigers and Cornell in what will be their first true test of the season.
"We have the best team we've ever had, and we have a tremendous amount of potential," Villarreal said. "I think there's no telling what we can do."
