Final splash for five senior swimmen


Friday, Feb. 6, 1998	Final splash for five senior swimmen By JOSHUA RHETT MILLER Collegian Sports Writer Sometimes the actual competition of a sporting event takes a back seat to its sentimental and historic value. Tomorrow will be a perfect example. The Penn State men's swimming and diving team (7-2, 3-2 Big Ten) will host La Salle (6-4) at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow in the McCoy Natatorium. But the competition between the teams will wither away when what really matters unfolds.
Senior diver Drew Jackson catapults off the board earlier in his Penn State career. Jackson and four other seniors will be honored prior to the 3:30 p.m. meet tommorow against La Salle in McCoy Natatorium. (Collegian Photo/Laura Chiles - click for full size image)	Tomorrow will mark Senior Day -- five graduating seniors will dive into the water for the last time at University Park. David Boardman, Tom Houck, Seth Kane, Drew Jackson and Greg Stacey have all enjoyed outstanding careers at Penn State. "The graduating seniors have made a very important contribution to the team," coach Peter Brown said. "They'll be very hard to replace." Although the coach seemed to heavily value the importance of Senior Day, the seniors themselves somewhat diminished the moment. "I'm not going to get teary-eyed over it," Stacey said. "You have to move on sometime." The day will not only belong to the seniors. With a victory, Brown would bring his career victory total to 100 -- a feat no other Penn State coach has ever achieved. Following suit with the swimmers, Brown decided not to make a big deal out of his 99-37 lifetime record. "I don't pay a whole lot of attention to win-loss records," Brown said. "They're misleading." Brown may not pay close attention to records, but his swimmers sure pay close attention to him.
`Men's swimming and diving`	"He's like a friend to us," freshman Steve Hodgins said. "We can talk to him about anything." The praise did not end there -- many Lions roared their approval of Brown. "He's the best coach I've ever had," freshman Jason Pollock said. "Everyone on the team loves him." The swimmers all admired Brown for a common reason -- his dedication. "He is so dedicated to the team," sophomore Robert Balazs said. "He has a great sense of what is going on." Lost amidst this haze of Senior Day and Brown's possible centennial victory is the meet itself. Brown said practices have be toned down to give swimmers a chance to rest before the postseason begins on Feb. 26 at the Big Ten Championships in Minneapolis. "We really haven't rested at all this season," Brown said. "But we have been recently, so we won't burn ourselves out." The Lions should not have much trouble with the Explorers tomorrow. Penn State has superior depth, speed and has a substantial edge with its divers. La Salle swimming and diving coach John Lyons put the contest in very plain terms. "We are not going to win the meet, I know that," Lyons said. "But, it will be fun to swim against such a good program." If all goes as expected, it will be a historic day for Penn State swimming and diving -- Brown will reach a goal never before obtained by a swimming coach at Penn State, La Salle will have fun in the water and five Penn State seniors will have memories for a lifetime.