In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns.

The Godfather got it right, and so has Penn State, as the women's swim team is filled with dangerous women.

Last Tuesday, West Chester was handed its first loss of the season as the No. 12 Nittany Lions (5-3) steam rolled them, 165-75.

The win was the fifth of the season for the Penn State, as it added more times that will be vying for an invite to the NCAA Championships later this season.

"They swam pretty well, considering we swam some off events," Penn State women's swimming coach Bill Dorenkott said.

From beginning to end there was no looking back as the Lions won their first and last events of the day, and all but three events in between.

The Lions took the 200 medley relay, headed by senior Amberle Biedermann, junior Lauren Preyss and freshmen Karie Haglund and Kaitlyn Ferguson. The group finished with a NCAA "B" cut.

Biedermann was back again in action in the 400 freestyle relay with juniors Jessica Barnes and Erin Morris and freshman Jamie Keily who cruised to a NCAA "A" time of 3:30.40.

"I was really happy with the 400 free relay splits," Dorenkott said. "We have two girls for sure going to NCAAs. As for the 'B' cuts, I hope we get some more before the Big Ten Championships."

Penn State may look like it is backed by upperclassmen, but the freshman class, full of Olympic and national qualifiers, has made a huge splash as well.

Freshman Kaitlin O'Brien took home the gold in the 1,000-meter free and has the third fastest 400 individual medley time in the country. Abby Hoisington and Ferguson made a huge impact as well when they provided wins in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke, respectively.

"On paper [the freshman class] looks good, and I have a strong belief that they can do well," Dorenkott said. "There is no undue expectation. They do well as a group, not as individuals."

The team seems to be in safe hands while balancing not only talent but also leadership between the seniors and the new freshman class.

"There is leadership on the captains and the seniors and in different forms on different people," Dorenkott said. "I hope we grow the second half of the season for this year and for future years."