Intense training down South has made the men's swimming and diving team confident and optimistic as it enters its meet today at Shippensburg.

"The team is basically looking pretty good, although some of the guys are still tired from practicing in Florida," Coach Peter Brown said of the team's 10-day stay in Fort Lauderdale.

In spite of a disappointing 0-3 record in dual meet competition this season, Brown said his team should beat the Red Raiders, which he said is a Division II team only because of a lack of depth.

"We aren't going to go into the meet too confident, but I think we will be able to win without swimming our strongest combinations."

Penn State will have the opportunity to experiment with its lineup, leaving each swimmer in only one of his best races.

"I am going to give the guys who have been winning their fair share of events a rest and let some of the other swimmers a chance to show how well they can do," Brown said.

Freshman Nick Boyce will swim the 100-meter freestyle today instead of his usual 200 backstroke. He said he is confident his teammates will adapt well to the changes and does not think they will affect the outcome of the meet.

"Being able to try a different event is a nice change and I think most of the guys are looking forward to being able to swim something different," Boyce said.

Brown expects to see many close races during the remainder of the season and is optimistic about his team's future. The team faces Pitt on Saturday, and Brown said that he plans to go all out and swim his strongest line-up against the Panthers.

"We have been up against some pretty stiff competition," he said, "Tennessee beat us and they are going to finish in the Top 10. We are just going to have to wait and see where everybody else falls into place."

"Everyone is swimming fast at this point of the year," Boyce said. "We should be able to beat Pitt and I think the changes we make at Shippensburg will take away some of the pressure."