What Corrie Clark has to accomplish in a day hasn't changed all that much in the past year.

When, where, and how she does it, on the other hand, have changed drastically.

The freshman swimmer, who was home schooled since second grade and competed solely through a YMCA team, has faced a series of lifestyle changes in addition to the usual adjustments of a student-athlete at the collegiate level.

"It was hard to be away from home at first, but everyone goes through the homesickness," Clark said. "The main thing is there's a schedule to stick to, and you have to work around that."

Despite having to adopt a different method of time management, Clark's accomplishments this season indicate that she has adjusted rather quickly. This past weekend against Big Ten opponents Michigan State and Indiana, Clark led the Nittany Lions to a double-victory with three first-place finishes in individual events.

In addition, she has been a consistent competitor in the breaststroke and individual medley all season, and she has earned valuable points in every competition thus far as a Nittany Lion.

"I was just hoping to be part of the team, and I didn't expect to be doing this well right now," she said. "I'm just trying to do my best, and whatever happens happens. I just want to go out there and represent the team, and represent Penn State well. That's my main goal."

This desire to proudly wear the blue and white is especially important to Clark, probably because she comes from a family with a history in Penn State athletics. Her grandfather and father were both members of the men's gymnastics team during their time here, and her brother Jaffrey is a sophomore who swims for the men's team.

"There were a lot of reasons pulling me to come here," Clark said. "It was in the family, and in the blood. I wanted to keep it going."

In fact, these family ties, and especially the presence of Jaffrey on campus, have helped make her transition into college life a little easier. The pair began swimming together about 12 years ago when they joined a team at the Upper Mainline YMCA in Berwyn.

"Having grown up together, I know her like nobody else," Jaffrey Clark said. "It's like going to college with a best friend, or at least for me. We can talk about whatever we need to."

Clark agrees, and she said they share a common background and similar problems that she's not sure anyone else would be able to understand.

"We're not like normal swimmers," she said. "We're more muscular and shorter. We always encourage each other when we're really down or tired. We have to keep in mind that our time will come later because of our body type."

However, some may argue that Clark's time is now, or in the near future at least. Aside from her achievements so far in her debut season, she also took a major step in her athletic career by placing 11th in the 100 breast at the Olympic Trials this summer.

"It was a dream come true to swim at the trials," she said. "I just used it to learn from the best and observe what the greatest swimmers were doing. I'm shooting for 2004."

But, in the meantime, Clark will continue to concentrate on training for the Big Ten and NCAA championships. She actually believes that the changes she has undergone in her training routine have helped her reach new levels of competition.

"I have practiced a whole lot more and have been doing, hour-wise, probably about 25 percent more than in high school," she said. "I've never swam faster in season, which is really strange, but it's working."

And, aside from taking advantage of the opportunity to become a better athlete, Clark is just trying to enjoy the camaraderie the team has to offer.

"We've been through all levels of pain together," she said of her teammates. "We've been in hotels together and on buses together. It's just an experience I wouldn't trade for anything."