Before every meet, the women's swimming and diving team makes its way onto the deck and gathers for a single chant.

The words resonate off the walls of McCoy Natatorium. It's a strong, unified sound, one that's intimidating enough to threaten even the toughest competitors.

And, one that's powerful enough to send tingles up and down one coach's spine.

"Every time they do the one cheer, 'Oh when Penn State comes swimming in,' I still kind of get chills every now and then when I hear that," women's swimming assistant coach Sarah Duttera said. "I have great memories of swimming here."

Now, Duttera gets to revisit those memories almost every day. A 1995 Penn State graduate and two-time All-American on the swim team, Duttera took over the position of assistant coach prior to this season. She replaced Fran McDermid, who left at the end of last year to pursue other interests.

"She did a wonderful job here as an assistant," Duttera said. "So I had, and still have, some pretty big shoes to fill."

Although she was thrilled with receiving the opportunity to fill those shoes, she said it wasn't necessarily her intention to return here after graduating.

"I was always attracted back, but I never really knew if my adventure in life would bring me this way or not," Duttera said. "It's just a good situation that allowed me to come back here. It's just luck."

The adventure that Duttera refers to began at age eight, when her mother encouraged her to take up swimming to keep her "from bouncing off the walls." The York native moved up through the Dover Aquatic Club, had a successful high school career at the York Country Day School, and eventually found herself continuing her athletic and academic careers in State College.

"I'm interested in just about everything, so that's what a lot of my courses depicted," said Duttera, who used her time at Penn State to try different things. "I took courses in art history and art and recreation and marketing and sport philosophy and sport ethics. Everything."

However, none of these classes ended up influencing the direction her life would take. Instead, the attitude and approach of former Lady Lion head coach Bob Krimmel, who is now an assistant athletic director, provided the spark that ignited Duttera's dream.

"I don't even know how to put it into words," she said. "It was the opportunities he allowed women to have. I got into it in order to provide those same opportunities. He forced you, as an athlete, to have an open mind and see different ways of doing things."

So, when her swimming career came to an end, Duttera was more than ready to get into coaching. She served as an assistant at Michigan from 1996-1998, a time during which the Wolverines captured three Big Ten championships. Duttera then went to Brown, where she was an assistant coach for both the men's and women's teams for the past two seasons.

Although she enjoyed living in different parts of the country and experiencing different programs, she believes that there is something different, and special, about coming back to Penn State.

"I think there's always a stronger connection when you come back to work for your alma mater," she said. "I think that it reinforces a few things."

In fact, Duttera has the ability to help her swimmers reach the next level, whether it be in academics or athletics. The knowledge she has of the school is an undeniable advantage.

"They're not going to leave here and be swimmers," she said. "They're going to leave here and hopefully be well-rounded people. You have to leave here taking advantage of all the resources Penn State has to offer."

Along with being able to share Penn State's array of resources with her team members, Duttera also came into the program familiar with the traditions and routines. This, according to head coach Bill Dorenkott, put her ahead from the start.

"I think any time you come into a new program there's an adjustment period," he said. "Just getting used to the traditions. But, whereas Sarah's been here before, she knows what the expectations are, and that learning curve has been pretty steep."

Senior tri-captain Katie Anderson agrees, and she said that Duttera's experiences helped to form a special connection between the team and its new assistant coach.

"She brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm," she said. "She has gone through the program and knows what it's about. She brought that Penn State pride with her already."

And, along with that pride, Duttera has brought a tremendous amount of experience and expertise. Her responsibilities as a recruiter for the team and as an instructor in the Exercise and Sports Activities department, along with her work in the aquatics office, make for a hectic schedule.

However, there's one thing that makes it all worthwhile.

"My favorite part of the day is when I walk down this set of steps and I get to go down on the pool deck and interact with the women on the team, and coach them," Duttera said. "I love being on that deck."