The Penn State men's swimming and diving team was hoping for a much stronger statement than it made this past weekend at the Big Ten Championships in Indiana.

Despite their confident swagger and high expectations, the Nittany Lions failed to improve upon last year's eighth-place finish, taking the same outcome this year with a final score of 186 points. Indiana dominated the competition, taking first place with a score of 760.5 points. Minnesota and Michigan followed with scores of 652 and 525, respectively.

Penn State swimming and diving coach Bill Dorenkott was disappointed with his team's overall effort.

The Lions failed to catch any breaks and, according to Dorenkott, they hurt themselves with false starts and other forms of disqualification. Despite battling a rigorous traveling schedule and the effects of various illnesses, Dorenkott refused to make any excuses for his team's performance.

"Whether we are dealing with academic problems, illnesses, or anything else, this is Penn State," Dorenkott said. "We are in one of the best swimming states in the nation, and we're not getting it done."

Despite the outcome, the team did have some outstanding individual performances. Senior Adam Pierce, who has had an outstanding diving career, put forth a strong effort but was overshadowed by junior Mike Alderman. Alderman was named first-team All-Big Ten after capturing first place in the 1-meter diving final. He finished with a score of 354.45 points.

"What Mike did out there was incredible," Dorenkott said. "Indiana has one of the best diving programs in the nation, and he went out there with everyone in the stands against him and nailed it."

According to Dorenkott, however, individual highlights cannot compensate for a weak team effort, collectively.

The Lions will waste no time in getting back to a tough practice routine. The coaching staff returned to work at 5:30 this morning and the team arrived a half-hour later.

Dorenkott said he feels he must start holding his team accountable for mistakes.

"I need to really look in the mirror to figure out how I can fix this thing. We are not as disciplined as we should be," Dorenkott said.

For the past few years, the swimming program has been steadily developing in an attempt to rank in the top five of a strong conference.

This year, Dorenkott felt very confident that the team could make a statement.

Unfortunately, the development will have to continue, and the expectations will only increase.