The Penn State men's swimming and diving team finished the Shamrock Invitational on Saturday at Notre Dame with a true understanding of the phrase "too little, too late."

After a sluggish start, the No. 16 Nittany Lions won eight out of 14 events on the second day of competition. But Notre Dame withstood the late run and took first place, defeating the Lions, 197-173.

Despite defeating Louisville, Missouri and Oakland, Penn State swimming and diving coach Bill Dorenkott was not pleased with the outcome of the meet. According to Dorenkott, the team had a great chance to come away with first place but ended up beating itself.

"We didn't lose because of anything in particular that Notre Dame did," Dorenkott said. "We had the guys to get it done, and we lost because of what we didn't do."

Strong performances from seniors Shawn McLin and Chris Ippoliti, sophomores Sean Swanepoel and Sean Biedermann and freshmen David Kraft and Pat Schirk kept the Lions within striking distance of the Fighting Irish throughout Day 2. Senior Adam Pierce also performed well again, winning the 3-meter diving event.

While the proven upperclassmen have already shown an ability to swim strong, Dorenkott was pleased with the way his freshmen battled back as well.

"Pat Schirk is really coming along, and David Kraft had a great second day as well," Dorenkott said. "We just need to be more consistent and attentive to our skills in the water. It was good to see a sense of pride at the end though."

As the Big Ten Championships approach, Dorenkott knows that there is much work to be done. This week, the team will regroup in preparation for a weekend meet at Kenyon. Dorenkott will not have his swimmers practicing today in order to combat the effects of fatigue and injury.

According to Dorenkott, the lack of speed is not entirely due to the team's practices in the water. This week, the focus may shift slightly away from the pool.

"Some of our problems might be linked to dryland workouts and weight training," Dorenkott said. "From a coaching standpoint, I need to make sure these guys are getting the most out of practice."

This was the second of three straight traveling weekends for the team, but Dorenkott refused to use the long trip as an excuse. With another road trip coming up this weekend, the Lions need to re-focus.

"Traveling is a reality," Dorenkott said. "We're not going to host any big meets in our facility, and we have to get used to that. If we don't, we're in trouble."