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(12/06/00 10:00am)
To prepare for its meet against Columbia this weekend, the Penn women's swimming team is focusing on sleep.
Although this may seem to be a peculiar way to prepare for a big meet, the Quakers (1-1, 1-1 Ivy League) have their reasons.
The Red and Blue are still recovering from a rigorous two-day meet last weekend against Bucknell and Binghamton. In addition, the swimmers are dealing with the increased amount of work as the semester winds down.
"We are resting up," freshman Linda Fescoe said. "We're making sure everyone gets sleep and goes to bed early."
Although they were exhausted, the Quakers performed very well last weekend, trouncing Bucknell and Binghamton. Now the squad's focus has shifted to Ivy League foe, Columbia (1-2, 1-1 Ivy League).
In the past, Penn has not fared well against the Lions. In fact, in the 10 years that coach Mike Schnur has been involved with the women's swimming program, he has never seen the Red and Blue come out victorious over Columbia.
But this is the year in which things may change.
"We are all really excited to show how much we've improved," sophomore Jessica Anders said. "We just have to go out and try and win as many events as we can."
The Columbia squad suffered a heavy blow with the graduation of star swimmer Christina Teuscher last year. Teuscher, who participated in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, was an integral member of the Lions' squad.
"[Teuscher's] graduation has really changed the balance of power on Columbia's team," Schnur said. "Our women now believe that we have a real chance to win."
The Red and Blue are very optimistic as they head up to New York, energetic and excited to show the Ivy league that they are a changed team.
"We've got a tremendous freshman class that provides us with a lot of depth and talent," junior captain Devin McGlynn said. "Our whole attitude is different this year. Our hearts are really in it."
Most importantly, the team believes that it can win. Last weekend was a confidence booster for the Quakers, who were able to win even under adverse conditions. They not only had to endure a two-day meet, but practice last week was relocated to Hutchinson Pool after a pipe broke at Sherr Pool.
"We just want to go up, have a lot of fun and do the best that we can," freshman Ashley Rader said. "We are psyched for the meet overall."
The Quakers and the Lions are pretty evenly matched, meaning each event is key.
"We want to try and go out and get the momentum of the meet," McGlynn said. "If we start getting events early it will throw them off."
The upperclassmen have been focusing on fostering positive attitude amongst the Quakers. Generating energy during such a busy week has also been a main concern.
"[The positive energy] is really contagious," McGlynn said. "We are so close that it just steamrolls through the whole team."
Besides getting a sufficient amount of rest, the Red and Blue are focusing on the little things this week. Practice has shifted from training to a quicker, but less rigorous, race pace.
"The women are basically fine tuning the smaller things," Schnur said. "They're working on relay starts, regular starts, turns and overall race preparation."
Following Columbia, the Quakers will face Harvard with the home-pool advantage. Both weekends will be crucial for the team.
"The team is excited and ready to go," Schnur said. "It is really fun to be preparing to battle and think[ing] that we can win.
(12/05/00 10:00am)
The Penn women's swimming team simply decimated its competition last weekend at Bucknell.
The Quakers ended the meet with 755 points, placing them ahead of host Bucknell (492) and Binghamton (76).
The Penn swimmers used this meet as an opportunity to practice racing and prepare for upcoming meets.
The Red and Blue were not expecting tough competition from either Bucknell or Binghamton, so the Quakers focused on improving their own times and challenging each other.
"We wanted to have some fast times and good swims," junior tri-captain Devin McGlynn said. "We also used this meet to see where we stand going into next week."
Overall, the team was pleased with the results -- considering the circumstances. Last week, Sheerr Pool at Gimbel Gym suffered a broken pipe, forcing the team to practice in the less-desirable Hutchinson pool.
"The team just looked tired," Penn coach Mike Schnur said. "We had to deal with the pool situation at Gimbel last week, which meant that they had to get up and train earlier than usual."
The meet was a two-day affair consisting of three back-to-back sessions. This format tested the Quakers' endurance and versatility.
"Basically what we were trying to accomplish was just swimming through hard training and a tough past week," senior tri-captain Cathy Holland said. "It was important to see how fast everyone could swim, even when they don't feel well."
Despite some of these setbacks, the Quakers still performed exceptionally well. Both the relay teams and individuals proved that they were able to perform without sufficient rest.
"All in all, people put in really good performances," McGlynn said. "I think it really shows the team's integrity. Everyone came, raced and gave it their all."
Not only did Penn trounce its opponents, the team also broke a few of Bucknell's pool records along the way.
The 200-yard freestyle relay set the tone for the rest of the meet. The squad -- comprised of sophomore Jessica Anders, freshman Ashley Rader, McGlynn and freshman Linda Fescoe -- broke the Bucknell pool record and won the first event of the meet for the Quakers.
"That was the fastest unshaved relay we have ever done," Schnur said. "It was definitely a great way to start the meet."
Rader also set school and Bucknell pool records in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:07.20.
Freshman Kathleen Holthaus, another top newcomer for the Quakers, set a pool record in the 1,650 freestyle. Holland contributed a new record of her own in the 400 individual medley.
"This meet and all the pool records we set just shows the kind of talent we have," Schnur said. "A lot of women swam really well."
The fatigued Quakers squad found that the key to their success was a positive attitude.
"We just really worked as a team, cheering for everyone and staying positive," said Fescoe. "It was more of a relaxed atmosphere."
The Penn women will now turn their attention to their upcoming meets. On Friday, the team will travel to New York to face Columbia before hosting Harvard the following weekend. The Lions and Crimson are a pair of Ivy League foes that the Quakers have traditionally struggled against.
"The team is really enthusiastic," Schnur said. "We're ready to challenge two teams that we haven't beaten in a very, very long time."
The Quakers' main priority this week will be to rest up. Practices will lighten as the team prepares mentally and physically for a very challenging meet.
"We're trying to compete with [Columbia and Harvard] as best we can," McGlynn said. "We think we are a much stronger team than before and we're excited to prove it."
(11/30/00 10:00am)
Although there are more than 35 women on the Penn women's swimming team, they are much closer than one might expect.
The team's tri-captains, senior Cathy Holland and juniors April Fletcher and Devin McGlynn, work to keep their team a strong and cohesive unit despite its size.
In a sport like swimming, it is easy for the participants to focus solely on individual events. The Penn women's swimming team, however, does not have this problem -- the Red and Blue are just as focused on the team aspect of their efforts.
The captains are largely responsible for this team spirit and enthusiasm.
"The captains are good leaders that encourage all the swimmers to try their best and have as much fun as possible while they're at it," freshman Nicole Wake said.
This year, the Penn women's swimming team includes a large and fast freshman class. Therefore, keeping the team cohesive is a major priority.
"With the freshmen being faster in a lot of events, the captains have done a good job of keeping the team together," coach Mike Schnur said.
In fact, many of the freshmen rely on the leadership and support that their captains provide. Faced with constant adjustment, many look to the upperclassmen for support in and out of the pool.
"If anyone has a problem, they know that they can go to the captains on this team," Schnur said. "The captains demonstrate a sense of wanting to help the other members of their team."
The Quakers tri-captains each take her role very seriously. Each one tries to provide as much as possible for her team.
"I'm glad that the freshmen feel that I'm someone they can talk to -- and not just about swimming," Fletcher said.
Holland, a second-year captain for the Red and Blue, is dedicated to her job. As the Penn record-holder in both the 200 and 400-meter individual medley, Holland is a true leader for her squad.
"I am very proud to be a captain of this team," Holland said. "It is something that I take very seriously."
Although McGlynn called Holland the "Queen Mother of captains," Holland does not manage the job by herself.
Fletcher and McGlynn are also crucial to the successful leadership of the Quakers.
"Each of us bring something different to the role of captain," Holland said. "We really round each other out well. Together we work a lot better to lead this team than we would individually."
McGlynn and Fletcher, both school record-holders like Holland, keep the the Quakers upbeat during and after practice.
"Devin always keeps everyone positive," sophomore Sarah Nessler said. "And April is always there if you need anyone to talk to or to reassure you."
All three admit that their duties are made easier by a motivated team. They are also aided by a strong force of upperclassmen.
"The team makes my job really easy," Fletcher said. "Also, the other girls in my class play just as large of a leadership role. It's more of a communal thing amongst the upperclassmen."
This upcoming weekend, the Quakers will travel to Lewisburg, Pa., where they will square off against host Bucknell and Binghamton. At the tournament, the Red and Blue will look to unveil an improved squad.
"This year is definitely a breakthrough year," Fletcher said. "I'm just excited to walk out on the deck and have people be scared of us."
(11/21/00 10:00am)
The Penn women's swimming team was ready to show off its skill this past weekend.
After six solid weeks of training, the Quakers were more than ready to face some real opposition. Rigorous workouts, determination and enthusiasm have the team expecting its best season in years. The Quakers, excited to show the Ivy League their vast improvement from last year, drove to Ithaca, N.Y., with high hopes.
The results were even better than the Quakers had thought they would be. The Red and Blue stormed past Cornell, winning by a wide margin of 70 points. They also put up a formidable resistance to Princeton, losing to the defending Ivy League champions by only 31 points.
"This meet turned out even better than I expected," Penn coach Mike Schnur said. "We just swam really well."
Last year, Penn squeezed out a narrow eight-point victory over Cornell by winning the final relay. This past weekend, the Quakers dominated the meet, creating a large margin of victory well before the last races.
"This year, we came in with confidence, knowing we could beat them. But there is always that doubt in the back of your mind," junior Devin McGlynn said. "It was a really good feeling to win without a doubt."
The improved result says something about the new Penn squad. The Quakers, comprised of many noteworthy veterans and a stellar freshman class, are out to prove that they are a changed team.
"I think this is a really good indicator of how far we've come since last year," Penn tri-captain April Fletcher said. "We were really expecting to go in there and beat them by a lot. We did exactly what we wanted to do."
The Quakers began the meet confidently, taking first and second in the medley relay. Penn not only beat Cornell's team, they also drastically bettered their times from last season.
"Our B-team, which is our second best relay, went faster than our A relay from last year," Schnur said. "And our A-team this year went even faster."
The relays were indicative of the rest of the meet. Success followed for the Penn women's swimmers individually, too. The Quakers exceeded their expectations in many events.
Tri-captain Cathy Holland performed well for the Quakers, winning the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:11.90. She also placed third in the 200 breaststroke.
"Everyone in general had really good swims," Schnur said. "They swam great times, raced really hard and did what they had to do."
Deemed the quickest recruiting class in the history of Penn swimming, the freshman squad had a lot to prove in the pool. Linda Fescoe, Rachel Zappalorti and Kathleen Holthaus shed their first-meet jitters and swam well.
Holthaus won the 500 freestyle and place third in the 1,000 freestyle. Zappalorti dominated the butterfly events, placing first in both the 100 and 200-yard distances. Fescoe won the 50 sprint freestyle with a time of 24.26, and finished second behind teammate Jessica Anders in the 100 free.
Penn junior Adriana Pentz stole back any momentum Cornell hoped to gain when she beat all Cornell swimmers in the 100 backstroke. Her freshman teammates Edyta Szczepankowska and Carly Wilson followed right behind.
These Quakers already seem far removed from the ones who only last year snapped a 42-meet Ivy League losing streak.
(11/17/00 10:00am)
Penn women's swimming coach Mike Schnur expects his team to break 90 percent of its school records this season.
The Quakers are confident of this because of their freshman class. Boasting the best times of any recruiting class ever to enter Penn, the freshmen are considered to be the strongest incoming group in the history of Penn swimming.
As a result, the team believes it will be able to drastically improve on its 6-6 overall record from last year.
"Everyone's really excited about our team this year," junior Jennifer Travaglini said. "We've got a great new class with a lot of talent."
The freshmen have a lot to live up to, but have already begun to prove their worth. In two practice meets, they have impressed the old guard.
They will get their first real shot tomorrow morning in a tri-meet at Cornell with Princeton. The Quakers snapped a 42-meet Ivy League losing streak last year when they beat the Big Red in their season opener.
"The freshmen have swum incredibly well in the past few weeks," captain Cathy Holland said. "They are so well prepared. They know how to swim fast and get the job done."
Although this new group of youngsters will undoubtedly improve the team drastically, they cannot do it on their own. Just as important to the Quakers' fortunes are the experienced upperclassmen.
"This is a very young team," Schnur said. "When you have basically 90 percent of your team made up of freshmen and sophomores, you still need them to be directed."
The freshmen are led by a strong group of seniors and juniors. Tri-captains Holland, Devin McGlynn and April Fletcher are all solid contributors to the Red and Blue.
Holland is the varsity record holder in the 200- and 400-meter individual medleys.
McGlynn holds the varsity record for the 200-freestyle, also contributing in the shorter freestyle events. Fletcher is a notable two-time Ivy consolation finalist and varsity record holder in the 100-meter breaststroke event.
"What the freshmen have brought to this team is an incredibly positive attitude and a willingness to work hard," Holland said. "But I know that they look to the upperclassmen for how to act and how to respond to situations."
The enthusiasm and excitement that surrounds the Quakers is their most obvious strength. The team is confident about its upcoming season, and very optimistic about future success.
By continuing to improve individually and as team, the Quakers are hoping to prove to their opponents that they are no longer a team to be taken lightly.
"We are focusing on getting a few more wins and eventually getting up higher on the board at the Ivy championship," senior Patty Walshaw said. "The new freshmen combined with our current great squad is just going to be amazing."
The expectations are high for the Penn women's swimming team, both individually and collectively. Each woman has her own personal goals to achieve, as well as those of the team.
The Quakers are a well-rounded squad this year, with talented swimmers in every event. In addition, the diving aspect of the team has improved considerably.
"Diving was, shall we say, not our strength last year," Schnur said. "This year we have gotten a lot better. That helps the swimmers a lot. Going into a meet we know that we have a chance and we won't lose points to the other team during the diving competition."
The Quakers hope for success in tomorrow's meet, and throughout the winter season.
"It's a great feeling going into a meet and being able to say, 'We're going to win,'" Holland said. "We're hoping to go in and show our opponents that we are not what they had been expecting."
(11/10/00 10:00am)
At this point in its season, the Penn men's ice hockey club is not focusing on scoring goals.
Instead, coach Josh Remick is forcing his Quakers to divert their attention to the defensive end of the rink.
"We are focusing on playing on our own end," Remick said. "We know that we can score, but we need to tighten up our defensive coverage."
The Red and Blue (6-4-0) are off to an encouraging start for their season. The team is proving itself a reputable contender in the very competitive Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association.
Penn has won its last four games, boosting its record and confidence.
This past weekend, Penn annihilated William Patterson, winning 9-1.
However, the most impressive victory came last Sunday night in New York City against NYU.
The Violets are currently ranked third in the Northeastern National Conference. The Quakers hope victory over such a high-ranked team will gain attention for them from the ranking committee.
"Our season definitely picked up this last weekend," Remick said. "We are currently unranked. But with these past wins, especially the one against NYU, hopefully that will change."
The game against NYU was a bitterly fought struggle.
NYU jumped to an early lead, going up 1-0. Penn assistant captain Whit Matthews responded with a controversial goal that involved a scuffle with NYU's goalie. A fight broke out between the two teams, and the Quakers emerged with a goal, plus two penalties.
In the second period, NYU put two quick goals in the net within 10 minutes. Although the Quakers were down 3-1, they continued to battle against the Violets. With seven minutes to go in the second period, Owen Callahan scored on a rebound for the Quakers. Dan Gabbay boosted the team's confidence heading into the third period by scoring with only 42 seconds on the clock.
The Quakers and Violets spent the third period tied 3-3. With only 46 seconds left in the game, captain Colby Zaph backhanded the game-winning shot into the far side of the Violets net. Penn managed to hold onto its lead as the last few seconds ticked away.
"It was really exciting," Matthews said. "This was a really big win for us since NYU is so highly ranked."
The Red and Blue have found success in their new defensive strategy, which has augmented their talented offense.
"We weren't playing tight hockey at the beginning of our season," Remick said. "Now we're running over teams because it has become a total team effort."
The Quakers have also worked on staying focused throughout the entire game.
"Even though we are a smaller team, we are quicker and more skilled," Matthews said. "Our biggest issue is coming to play for 60 minutes. We have to stay completely focused from the first puck drop to the final buzzer."
The Quakers are now focusing on the near future as their schedule picks up.
"Our next games are extra important because we can gain a lot more attention from the ranking committee," Matthews said. "If we play smart, we can win, and should win."
If Penn continues to play well, they have a viable chance to make the MACHA playoffs in February. Remick is confident that the team can make not only the MACHA playoffs, but also the national tournament.
In order to do so, the team must beat some formidable opponents.
"This year, we've got the teams that are ranked highly every year," Matthews said. "If we beat those teams, we definitely have a good chance at a bid."
Penn's quest continues this weekend as they face Millersville and Monmouth. Next week, the Quakers will face off against the Princeton Tigers.
"Princeton is always a big game, but that is for obvious reasons," Matthews noted.
(11/02/00 10:00am)
Last night, the Penn volleyball team took the Palestra court for its final regular season match, lacking the emotion one would expect at such an event.
With no seniors, Penn's last home outing, a match against the Sacred Heart Pioneers, was just another preparation for the Ivy League Championship tournament around the corner. Keeping this in mind, the Quakers came out strong and triumphed decisively over their opponents in three games.
The Quakers (21-7) came out a bit shaky in the first game, losing the first two points to Sacred Heart (6-19). Then Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan stepped up to serve, and the tempo of the game shifted Penn's way.
The Quakers regained control with consistent blocking, confident digging and strong outside hitting. Penn went on a quick 5-0 run and forced Sacred Heart coach Scott Carter to take a timeout.
Penn continued its dominance by making use of its middle hitters.
"I got my timing down with the setter, and we finally started connecting," said freshman middle hitter Heather Janssen, who finished the night with seven kills. "We've been kind of off lately."
Sacred Heart struggled with its basic skills, eventually ending the night with five service errors. The Quakers took advantage and won the first game, 15-5.
In the second game, the Pioneers jumped out to an early lead once again. The Quakers caught up and prevailed over the Pioneers, 15-7, but never really found their rhythm.
"Offensively, we need to work on scoring on transition," Penn coach Kerry Major said. "We seem to score fine off sideouts, but then we lack the kill. We let them make the mistakes. I would rather score not on their mistake, but on our kill."
Penn was able to capitalize on the Pioneers' service errors, carrying and double-hit violations. The Quakers front row teamed up to frustrate Sacred Heart, consistently blocking their attack. In addition, the back row completed 51 defensive digs.
Penn sophomore Kai Gonsorowski led the team with 12 digs of her own.
"I've been on and off lately," Gonsorowski said. "I am concentrating on consistency and making sure that if I miss a ball, making sure that I don't let it happen twice."
In preparation for the Ivy League tournament coming up in little over a week, Major decided to use the third game to give her substitutes more experience.
"I wanted to stay with the starting lineup and basically insert our 6-2 situation, which we may have to use in the Ivy Tournament," she said.
As a result, Penn freshmen setter Meghan Schloat and freshman right side Lauren Carter entered the match. Both played confidently for the Quakers -- Carter finished with four kills and Schloat with 10 completed sets.
Major also gave freshman Lauren Purdo a chance to build up her confidence going into the Ivy tournament.
"Lauren Purdo is our third middle blocker," Major said. "Heather Janssen and Kelly Szczerba do great, but if one of them gets hurt, I have to make sure [somebody else] is prepared."
The Quakers finished off the Pioneers in three games, winning the last, 15-9.
Penn's success also came from a spread-out offensive attack. Setter Jodie Antypas connected well with her middle and outside hitters all night. Katie Brandt continued her streak of stellar performances, adding 10 kills and three digs. Stacey Carter and Kwak-Hefferan each contributed six kills.
With the win last night, the Quakers extended their home winning streak to 11 straight matches, increasing their record at the Palestra to 12-1.
But their focus is no longer here in Philadelphia. Instead, the Quakers are looking forward to Boston, where they will face Harvard in the first round of the single-elimination Ivy League Championship tournament.
Although the Crimson will have the home-court advantage, Penn knows Harvard is beatable. The Quakers swept the Crimson in their regular season meeting earlier this year.
