The schedule said Penn versus La Salle, but swimming coach Mike Schnur noticed another, more personal, competition occurring.
"We have a lot of guys who know some guys from La Salle and had a lot of local bragging rights on the line," the coach said of his men's team.
The friendly rivalries only added to the excitement of the team's final meet of the season, which Penn won, 167-132. Schnur and La Salle coach Matt Nunnally agreed beforehand to swim "shorter, much more fun races," including 50-yard sprints in the breaststroke, backstroke and freestyle.
While the meet had little significance on the outcome of their season, it provided the Quakers a chance to determine the areas in which they need to improve.
"Our short races were not sharp," Schnur noted. "We didn't have a lot of sprint speed."
With the hard work the team has been putting into practice, Schnur excused his team's struggles in short-distance races. The Explorers were also "more well-rested" according to Schnur, considering that their championships begin in two weeks, while the Quakers have another month to prepare.
The men showed encouraging signs in the diving portion of the meet, taking both diving events, including freshman Alex Marple's first victory of the season in the 3-meter. Fellow freshman Brendan McHugh continued to impress, winning the 200-yard freestyle in what his coach called "the best swim of the whole meet."
The Red and Blue will need continued contributions from their freshmen if they hope to have success in championships, considering that the Class of 2012 constitutes nine of their 20 competitors.
Schnur loves the energy and determination that his young swimmers bring to the pool.
"I think our strengths are that we race hard," he said. "We've got a lot of competitors on the team and we have a lot of guys who really enjoy racing."
The coaching staff has a successful strategy planned out for its team over the next month.
"We're going to continue working real hard for about two more weeks and in the last two weeks we're going to do very little," Schnur explained. "Once we get to the point where we decide to cut back, we'll go from real hard workouts to real easy ones in a hurry, and that leads to fast performances at the end of the year."
Schnur hopes his practice schedule has his team ready for ECAC Championships from February 27-March 1 and EISL Championships from March 5-7. NCAA Championships begin March 26.
The Quakers coach knows his team will be excited for its grand finale.
"It's a whole different level of swimming," he said. "If you're not ready for [these meets], then you're in the wrong sport."
