Penn State swimming and diving coach Bill Dorenkott saw something in his team's 125-118 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday that he liked -- effort.

"I couldn't be more proud of our guys. They were outstanding," Dorenkott said. "And I'm not talking about our times or places or anything like that, I'm talking about their efforts -- outstanding."

The Nittany Lions (2-6) were beating the Panthers (9-1), 95-93, with only the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard freestyle relay left.

"I met with the captains for a minute and just told them they had no control over the outcome," Dorenkott said. "But the only thing they had control over was their effort in the next two races and to keep doing what they've been doing for the first 11 events."

The Lions raced hard throughout the 200-free relay, but the Panthers finished less than a second faster, ensuring them the victory.

A few team members, including junior Daryl Northrop, had noteworthy afternoons. Northrop picked up wins in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle with times of 21.00 and 45.80 seconds, respectively.

"Here's a kid who almost got kicked off the team a year ago, a year later he's the team captain and not by default," Dorenkott said. "He's just been an awesome leader in the pool and away from the pool and shows up to race every day."

Northrop recalled some good advice Dorenkott gave the team during the season.

"He said the points are not what matters, but that you step up and give it your best every time you race," Northrop said. "I like that and it really says a lot about us as a team.

"I keep getting better every week, and what I've been doing in practice has really been paying off," he said. "If I keep doing what I've been doing, I'm going to swim really well at Big Tens."

Meanwhile, Todd Minnier picked up a win in the 200-yard freestyle with an NCAA "B" cut time of 1:38.43, which gains an athlete consideration for entrance in the NCAA Championships, and also took first in the 500-yard freestyle.

The diving team had a solid meet as junior Marc Gastaldo won both the 1- and 3-meter boards.

"We still have some consistency issues, although our practices have been much, much better," Penn State diving coach Craig Brown said. "Emotionally, we have to make sure we're in good health because a lot of people are getting frustrated with things since they put a lot of pressure on themselves."

He is counting on Gastaldo, Mike Alderman and Adam Pierce to become a triple threat leading into the Big Ten championships.

The meet reminded Dorenkott of a meet eight or nine years ago when he faced a much better Purdue team.

"They beat us, but they had to fight for every point," Dorenkott said. "It was similar today. Our guys raced with a lot of class and a lot of pride."