When the 11 senior members of the No. 14 Penn State women's swimming and diving team committed to compete for the Nittany Lions squad, they were probably aware of the cardiovascular demands characteristic of a swimming season.

For this group, the condition of their hearts will be showcased twice at tomorrow's 11 a.m. meet vs. Rutgers -- the final home meet of the season. In addition to the physical swimming, a ceremony will be held in their honor.

"It's going to be emotional," senior Jennifer Eberst said. "Just the fact that it's ending is gonna be sad."

Competing in a sport judged on individual success and accomplishments, this group will be honored in a nod to teamwork, support and collective effort.

"I feel like this team is more of a family than any other team I've been on," Eberst said. "We aren't the most talented team, but when we're put on the spot, it's all heart that comes out."

Both Eberst and Shepherd cited the daily routine as the hardest part of their four-year swimming careers.

"Day in and day out, getting our butts kicked, it's demanding. It's frustrating in that sense," Eberst said.

That it is a relatively small group fighting through such arduous months may have helped create this cohesion.

"It's something that not a lot of people go through," senior Sara Shepherd said, citing the months of October and November as the hardest. "Once you get through those ... if you get through those..."

From this point forward, the season will start to dwindle in several ways. In addition to the amount of time remaining in the season and until championship meets, the amount of yardage the team puts each day will go down, a practice called tapering.

With Big Ten Championships less than a month away, the team will need to be well rested and focused on performing at its peak. Tapering -- swimming less as the goal meet approaches -- allows the body's muscles to fully recover and be ready for that peak effort.

"Tapering's the fun part of the season," Eberst said. "Everyone's happy, the coaches are more relaxed."

Successful tapering is contingent on quality training throughout the entire season. Otherwise, the body doesn't have level of fatigue from which to recover. Having spent the past months cramming in 60,000- to 80,000-yard and 20-hour practice weeks, the team can now enjoy the work it has done.

"We worked the hardest out of everyone," Shepherd said. "We'll be rested and fully tapered [and] ready to swim fast."

Winning the Big Ten Championships would provide victorious bookends for the Lions senior swimmers. Both Eberst and Shepherd said that winning the event in their freshman year was their favorite memory. (Shepherd said that breaking the two-minute mark in the 200-yard backstroke was her other favorite).

"We have to go in [to Big Tens] knowing we can win. Then we can do it," Shepherd said.