The women's swimming team rang in the New Year the best way possible: with a win.
After spending the closing days of 2008 on a training trip in Boca Raton, Fla., the Quakers greeted 2009 with a first-place finish at the Florida Atlantic University Invitational on Jan. 9.
The Invitational set the Red and Blue against five other schools, including host FAU, Maryland, Illinois State, North Texas, and Ivy League rival Brown. The event also served as a dual meet between Penn and Brown.
The Quakers easily won the Invitational with 622 points.
"We may not have the top swimmers, but our team is very deep," sophomore Amanda King said. "Invitationals showcase that."
Penn's breaststrokers put on an impressive performance in Florida.
"They were terrific all day," coach Mike Schnur said. "They were the reason we won."
Freshman Laura Klick took first in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:06.87 and second in the 200-yard breaststroke at 2:24.47. Freshman Samantha Husband and sophomore Kelby Zimmerman also had top-ten finishes in the 100-yard breaststroke, while Zimmerman and sophomore Carey Stauder finished at the top of the heap in the 200 as well.
Although the Quakers did capture the invite, Brown was able to edge past Penn for the win in the dual meet. The win came down to the final event, the 200-yard freestyle relay. The Bears' relay teams swam to third- and fifth-place finishes, while the Red and Blue took fourth and sixth places.
The Quakers' poor Ivy League record continued in Cambridge, where they next traveled to swim against Harvard on Jan. 10. Against an undefeated and rested Crimson squad, the Red and Blue fell 207-91. The Quakers are now 1-4 overall, with all five dual meets in Ivy League competition.
"We were crushed," Schnur said. "The Harvard girls demolished us."
Schnur admitted that the fatigue of the swimmers may have contributed to their inability to match the speed of the extremely fast Harvard women, who were led by sophomores Kate Mills and Katherine Pickard. Both ended the day with two first-place finishes. Pickard was also a part of the first-place 200-yard medley relay team.
Despite the ill-fated end to the Cambridge trip, the Red and Blue left with several top finishes. Junior diver Melissa Gardel placed second in the three meter diving event, and earned a first-place finish in the one meter. Klick continued her dominance in breaststroke, taking first in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:05.63. The Quakers also had the top three finishes in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
