The women's swimming team is geared up for its meet against Pittsburgh tomorrow, but not too geared up.

Coach Bob Krimmel has been trying to keep the emotions of the Penn State-Pitt rivalry from affecting his team's swimming.

"We have to maintain a positive attitude," Fran McDermid said. "Krim may be afraid that we'll get over-anxious and not swim well."

"We've been treating it like any other dual meet," co-captain Kathleen Dick said.

"They're pretty calm," Krimmel said. "But having classes helps in that regard. They're looking forward to the challenge."

The long-standing rivalry is now a turning point for this season. The Lady Lions have an 8-1 record and are ranked third in the East -- tied with Pitt. The winner of the meet will be ranked second in the East behind No. 1 Harvard.

"If someone doesn't swim well, we won't beat Pitt," Krimmel said. "This is the biggest meet of the year. Whoever has the best day will win."

The Lady Lions beat Princeton last week and only had a week to prepare for this meet. Pitt, swimming for the first time in the new year, had more time to prepare.

The freshmen will play a big part in the meet. "They have no idea what they're getting into," Krimmel said.

"We have a solid line-up," Dick said. "They (the freshmen) tend to perform real well as a class. They fill in a lot of holes."

Along with the pressures of facing a strong Pitt team, the Lady Lions have another added pressure. The meet will be televised on WPSX on tape delay, the first time that the women's swimming team has been televised, Krimmel said.

"I'm sure the Neilsen ratings will be high for this one," he added.

Parents' Day and All-American Day ceremonies, which will be held before the meet, should help to boost the morale of the Lady Lions. During a brief ceremony the parents of the swimmers will be honored and recognized for their support.

All-American Day will honor last years' All-Americans, including two-time recipient Kristin Elias, who will return to State College for the ceremony.