Balance is the buzzword this year.

Balance is what the 23rd-ranked men's swimming and diving team will need to come away with the Eastern Swimming League Championship. And balance is what the Lions have throughout the lineup of 17 swimmers they will send to Easterns, Feb. 28-March 2, at Princeton.

Balance also happens to be what everyone is talking about.

"I really see us well represented in each event this year," Coach Peter Brown said. "We have a really balanced lineup and you have to have balanced scoring in each event in order to win."

Penn State will be looking for its first Eastern Championship after finishing 10 points behind Princeton last season to take second place for the second consecutive year.

This year four divers, along with the 17 swimmers, will make the trip to Easterns. Jeff Eagles, who finished fourth on both the 1- and 3-meter boards last year, and fellow senior Steve Zamborsky, will make their last trip to the championships along with newcomers Chris Devine and Joe Marsh. All four will dive on both boards.

Ten swimmers from last year's Eastern team will return to Princeton, along with seven new faces, five of whom are freshmen. Gene Lupinski, Matt Myers, Lucas Shelly, Kirk Skoglund and Stuart Watson will each be looking to score for the Lions this year.

Shelly, who will be swimming in the 400-yard individual medley, as well as the 500 and 1650 freestyle events, is hoping to keep his pre-meet jitters in check.

"I get more nervous once we get to the meet," Shelly said. "But I really get hyped up when it comes to performance time."

Brown is hoping each of the swimmers will come to the meet "hyped" and ready to swim at peak performance level.

"This year we have a group totally capable to stand on their own two feet and we're heading (to Easterns) in a good frame of mind," Brown said. "It's time for us to take the bull by the horns and get it done."

Two senior swimmers, co-captains Bart Kimble and Walt Sopp, will be making their last trip to Easterns for Penn State.

Sopp, a four-time Eastern qualifier and the Lions' high scorer with 48 points last year, will be looking for his first freestyle championship. Kimble, who had a strong showing at Easterns last year in the 400 individual medley, will be looking to do the same this year in the 200 butterfly, and the 200 and 400 individual medley events.

On paper, Penn State stands to be a favorite in all five relay events, the lineups for which have not yet been determined, and should also challenge in the short-distance freestyle events. Both have been strengths for the Lions all season. The backstroke also stands to be strong with Eastern returner Nick Boyce swimming in both the 100 and 200 backstroke.

Boyce also sees balance as a key to Penn State's success.

"We definitely have more balance throughout our lineup," Boyce said, "which makes us a stronger team than the one that we took last year."

In the 50 freestyle, Sopp, Ed Adelman, Quinn Carver, Thad Davis, James Sloat and Gene Lupinski will all try to score for the Lions in what stands to be one of Penn State's best events. Adelman and Adam Carroll will also swim in both the 100 and 200 freestyle events, as well as Sopp, who finished second in both events last year at Easterns.

Brown said he expects to find the stiffest competition in the long-distance freestyle events, because of the large number of returning swimmers.

In the 500 freestyle, distance specialist Phil Meyer, along with Carroll, will try to capture his first championship, while Meyer will also swim in the 1650 freestyle with two freshmen, Myers and Shelly.

"We have more returning experience on this year's squad and good leadership," Brown said. "Each swimmer has to have the determination to swim the best meet he ever has."