The Penn State men's swimming and diving team got its first taste of intense competition this past weekend at the University of Virginia. The Nittany Lions lost to national powers Virginia and Auburn by scores of 187-166 and 217-125, respectively. The one win came against conference foe Purdue, 188-165.

Although the team was handed its first two losses, Penn State swimming coach Bill Dorenkott considered the meet to be an overall success. He was very pleased with the team's ability to rise to the level of its competition.

"The outcome is not as important as the progress we are making," Dorenkott said. "All three of these teams are ranked, but we came in with the right attitude and competed in every race."

Despite wins against LaSalle and West Virginia earlier in the season, the team still had many unanswered questions. This meet provided an opportunity for the swimmers to make a statement against high quality competition.

Going up against defending national champion Auburn and a defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion Virginia, the Lions (3-2) had to establish an ability to perform under pressure. Despite its youth, the team refused to back down.

"This was a great experience in terms of good pressure," Dorenkott said. "The competition was very good, but we did not show any weaknesses."

Dorenkott hopes that this strong performance will continue to propel the team in a positive direction. After finishing eighth in the Big Ten last season, senior Shawn McLin enjoyed the opportunity to defeat a conference rival.

"It felt really good to beat Purdue, but we still have work to do," McLin said.

According to Dorenkott, the team has exceeded his expectations thus far in terms of progress and camaraderie. He feels that the team is well on its way to giving the men's swimming program new life.

Considering the team has 16 freshmen, McLin is impressed by the way his teammates have supported one another in the first three meets.

"I've been in this program for three years, but the team has never been as close as it is right now," McLin said.

McLin hopes that the nation took notice of the Lions' ability to compete at a high level this past weekend. As a senior he feels that, compared to the past three years, this team has the best shot to make some noise in the Big Ten.

"Hopefully, this meet turned a lot of heads," McLin said. "We want everyone to know that Penn State is here to swim."