Swimmen regain confidence, halt losing streak with victory over LaSalle

How is the greatness of a team measured? Is it by the complete domination of competition week in and week out?

Or is it the ability to overcome individual adversities and work as a cohesive unit just when you start to question yourself?

For the Penn State men's swimming and diving teams, losing three out of its last four meets entering Friday's dual meet with LaSalle left many observers wondering which Nittany Lion team would show up.

That question was answered not long after the starter's gun sounded, as the Lions placed first and second, respectively, in the opening two events. The team never looked back, capturing a convincing 177-79 drubbing of an undermanned Explorer squad in front of a very vocal crowd.

The Lions finished first in 15 out of 18 events and never placed lower than second except for the second heat of the 200-yard free, in which sophomore Alvero Velez finished third.

"We're pretty solid in each event, and we have some great relays, so this gave us an opportunity to move our lineup around," Lion coach Peter Brown said.

Also solid once again were sophomore Justin Martens, who claimed victory in the 50-yard free, and the diving duo of senior Seth Kane and junior Drew Jackson, who were 1-2, respectively, in both the 1-meter and 3-meter competitions.

"LaSalle is a real good rival for us," said Lion assistant coach Bill Dorenkott. "We've got several guys from the Philly area, so it was a homecoming of sorts for them."

For the Explorers, who with the loss dropped to 0-10 all-time against Penn State. Being weak in three key events was a reason the score wasn't closer.

"The meet against Penn State was a good indicator of where we stand right now," LaSalle coach John Lyons said. "We face a conference opponent in two weeks, so this is a meet which we will see where we'll place swimmers in that race."

Having had to coach and inspire one of his younger teams to date, Lyons said his squad is faring much better than anticipated.

"Our team is made up of 20 underclassmen," he said, "so being 4-5 after nine meets tells me that we're going to have something to look forward to in the next couple of years."

The win puts the team at 4-3 with a match-up remaining against Villanova at home. It prevents the Lions from enduring their first losing season in 20 years. They halted their longest losing streak since 1994, when they lost four straight.

"We've been getting things done when we had to do them," Brown said. "Everyone contributed in this meet, and it is important for us to have some guys swim faster. There aren't many opportunities left for us, and our Big Ten team definitely hasn't been decided yet."