Being a transfer student is an uncomfortable situation to be in --particularly for an athlete.

A newcomer on a new team. New surroundings and new faces, and no class group with which to identify. Many have problems adjusting. Most never truly become a part of the team. Only a few beat the odds and become accepted by their new teammates.

And then there's Shawna Woods.

"The other kids didn't even think of her as a transfer -- it's as if she's always been a member of the senior class," Coach Bob Krimmel said. "She just blends in with the team extremely well. (She's) very popular and she has that ability to relate well to other people."

But Woods has had plenty of experience in adapting to new surroundings. Born in Atlanta to Canadian parents, Woods has spent significant periods of her life in Delaware, England, Iowa and currently Kennett Square, a suburb of Philadelphia. In addition, she spent her freshman year in college at the University of Wyoming.

Her mother, Lynn, was expectedly astonished at her daughter's choice of universities.

" 'You want to go where?' I was in shock," she said. "(Wyoming) wouldn't have been my first choice."

But Woods' tenure there lasted only one year, and the top butterflier at Wyoming suddenly became the No. 3 butterflier at Penn State. Though it was tough to adjust to her role on the new team, her ability to step up when fellow butterfliers Jen Wilson and Jen Baird were unable to compete quickly proved her value to the team.

Woods' performances over the past two-and-a-half years have solidified her place on the team. And when -- against the odds -- she qualified for the consolation finals in the 200-yard butterfly at Big Ten Championships last year, she provided a spark the team desperately needed.

"It was such a lift for the team because it was a bonus," Krimmel said. "And everyone was so excited for her and I think it really gave the team a boost."

Woods agreed that her performance was important, but more for personal reasons. With everyone assuming that only Wilson and Baird would place for the team, Woods said she felt a little left out.

"I was kind of upset by that," she said. "I wanted to do something for the team -- to contribute. I didn't just want to be at that meet and swim. It was nice just to be able to score -- it was a good feeling."

But it was a feeling that Woods didn't take into her senior season, in which she would be called upon to step up due to the graduation of Wilson.

"I was very negative the beginning of the season," she said. "At first, I didn't try. I thought, 'Oh well, if I don't try and I do bad, it's OK.' But . . . now toward the end of the season I decided that I can't do that. I've done a complete turnaround."

Her change in attitude came after the team's trip to Florida over the winter break, a very eventful break for Woods. She beat the odds again, proving that long-distance relationships can work out, as she got engaged to her high school boyfriend, who still lives in Iowa.

And the change in attitude has shown through, as Woods has consistently been one of the team's biggest cheerleaders on the pool deck.

"I try to (cheer) when I'm not swimming. I don't like when people just sit there. It's really important to make it a team," she said, though she does admit, "I get too into it sometimes."

But the end is approaching for the family studies major. Having participated in her final home meet last Saturday, Woods said she is ready to end her collegiate career by taking herself a step further in her final dual meets and at Big Tens, Feb. 17-20. She does, however, still have trouble believing that the end is near.

"I've been swimming for so long, I can't imagine that it's going to be over," she said. "It's been my first love -- it's been something I've done forever. I can't imagine not waking up and going to a cold pool. It'll be weird."