The finality of it all seems to sadden every senior on the team.
No more locker room camaraderie, no more kicks, turns or strokes. They may even miss the monotony of practice.
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W. Swimming
vs. Rutgers
Tomorrow, 12 p.m. McCoy Natatorium |
It will also be Senior Day and the final home meet for seven Nittany Lion swimmers.
"To me it means a great opportunity to enjoy what I love with the people I love for the last time. It's kind of sad," senior Piper Chamberlin said.
Fellow senior Barb Mulshine agrees with Chamberlin's sentiments.
"It means a lot because it's the last time we get to swim together," she said. "It will be a time to celebrate and remember the times we had together, it's going to be sad though."
The team has prepared a special ceremony to honor the seniors, which will take place after the first diving break.
Seniors will walk out with their parents, then be ceremoniously draped with a deep-blue fleeced blanket featuring a white S in the center.
"This is the only home dual meet we had all season so all our parents are going to be there and the emotions are going to be flying high," Chamberlin said.
Although emotions will be soaring, the Nittany Lions realize they still have to tackle the task at hand.
They hope to come away with a solid performance against a formidable opponent in the Scarlet Knights.
The focus will still be on continuing preparation for the up coming Big Ten championships.
"We're hoping to have a good solid meet. The adrenaline and emotion is definitely going to be high," Mulshine said.
For the second straight week a Penn State women's swimmer has come away with Big Ten Swimmer of the Week.
Freshmen Erin Mulshenock won the award following an outstanding performance last weekend at Indiana.
The fact that the awards have gone to two freshmen doesn't surprise Chamberlin, who cites the lack of an ancillary enviorment as one of the main reasons for the teams success.
"How close this team has become over the past four years, everyone is on the same page.
If youlook at our team you don't know who the seniors are and who the freshmen are and that makes for a great team atmosphere," she said.
The team is confident that they will send their seniors away with a victory and hope to continue their quest for the Big Ten title.
"We really want to set ourselves up good for the Big Ten Championship," Mulshine said.
