The three ladies stood together by the pool, taking in the applause of hundreds of fans gathered in the McCoy Natatorium to see their final home swim meet.

On Saturday, with their families at their side, the senior members of the Penn State women's swimming team were honored for years of hard work and dedication to their sport.

Amberle Biedermann, Sarah Haupt and Patty Murphy were the center of attention on Senior Day. During a break in the meet, they were all robed in the traditional blue- and-white blanket given to departing swimmers and presented with flowers.

On the wall hung posters with the name of each girl and messages from the team. An announcer read extensive lists of achievements for each of the senior swimmers, chronicling not only their accomplishments in the pool, but their many contributions as leaders and as companions.

It was clear that the team would miss these seniors and that they felt the same. Patty Murphy was visibly upset during the ceremony, shedding a few tears as she stood in front of her teammates.

"You come in as a freshman and never think it's going to be you getting announced at Senior Day," Murphy said. But she still admitted it was even more emotional than she could have imagined.

Overall, though, it was a time of celebration for the girls.

"It was a lot of fun," Haupt said. "A lot of family came up that normally don't get to come to the meets."

As the women bade farewell to the home crowd, it was obvious how much the team would miss their talent and leadership qualities. They have played a crucial role in preparing a large group of freshmen for the season ahead.

Biedermann acknowledged that helping to prepare this young team for championships is one of the main goals.

Penn State swimming and diving coach Bill Dorenkott knows how valuable the trio is to Penn State's program.

"They're not replaceable. Not as swimmers or individuals," Dorenkott said. "I hope that some of the things that they left for our program, work ethic, tenacity and passion to the sport, will be used by this team and by future teams. They had a great season and will be greatly missed."

The team's attention will now turn to finishing the year with strong performances in the pool. But for one day, everyone was able to take a step back and recognize the accomplishments of three teammates and friends.