“Unfortunately you don’t get to play defense in swimming.”

When Penn swimming heads to New Jersey for its first Ivy tri-meet with Cornell and Princeton this weekend, a hot topic will be the presence (or absence) of hair on Big Red swimmers’ legs.

Penn men’s swimming took care of business in dominating fashion last Friday at home against Columbia and again on Saturday afternoon against Villanova at Sheerr Pool.

Although the waters of Sheerr Pool are usually kept at a balmy 79 degrees, Penn swimming will try to heat things up this weekend.

When Michael Hamann got out of the pool, he knew something was wrong.

Their biggest meet may still be months away, but the Quakers will finally have a chance to get their feet wet this weekend. The Penn swimming season will get underway when the women head to New York to face Columbia on Friday before heading to Baltimore, where they will be joined by the men's team, as both squads face off against UMBC on Saturday. Both teams are coming off fourth-place finishes in last year's Ivy championships.

For many, transitioning to college is like a cannonball dive. You plunge into the cold waters and just hope that the undercurrent doesn’t pull you down.

Not many things in this world get better with age, but don’t tell that to the pair of Penn men's swimming senior captains. Over the last three seasons, Eric Schultz and Chris Swanson have won countless races and championships, including a combined eight individual Ivy titles.

One sis, two sis, Red sis, Blue sis.

With its season nearly over, Penn men’s swimming sent two representatives to the NCAA Championships for one last hurrah, giving the Quakers an opportunity to showcase their top performers on a national stage.

Oftentimes in sports, the stats accurately show everything one would need to know about a contest.

One week after the women’s team placed fourth in the Ivy League championships, Penn men’s swimming and diving is heading to Princeton for their own shot at the Ancient Eight crown. And the Quakers have certainly proved that they can swim their best on the biggest stage of the year.

On land, the senior hobbled around with the aid of a walker – the kind found most commonly in nursing homes. But in the water, it was a different story.

To cap off their regular seasons, Penn men’s and women’s swimming teams blew past West Chester and La Salle this weekend, hopefully gaining momentum before the Ivy League Championships.

Throughout its season, Penn swimming often has fewer home contests than any other sport. With a majority of the program’s meets taking place on the road, it’s on the Quakers to make the most of their As a result, this weekend, the Red and Blue will try to make the most of a rare opportunity as both the men’s and women’s squads prepare for matchups with Delaware at Sheerr Pool on Saturday. In what will be the second and final home meet for both of coach Mike Schnur’s squads, Penn’s matchups with the Blue Hens will be the first of three consecutive nonconference meets before the program swims in the Ivy Championships starting on Feb. 19.

With a trip to Sunshine State for anything but a vacation in the rear view for Penn swimming, will the training be worth it?

On Dec. 27, the men’s and women’s squads fly down to Florida for a ten-day intensive training trip. In preparation for the remainder of the Ivy season, the Ivy Championship and, potentially, the National Championships, the Quakers will endure coach Mike Schnur’s swimming boot camp.