The Brown & White

Lehigh's swimming and diving teams take on archrival Lafayette College today at Jacobs Pool.

The Mountain Hawks hope to repeat their win last weekend over New Jersey Institute of Technology to improve their overall record of 6-0 for the men and 3-2 for the women thus far into the season.

"The season really could not get off to any better of a start," said senior Kevin McGrath. "We are 6-0 right now and have beaten some teams that we have lost to in past seasons, which is really encouraging."

For the 2009 Patriot League Championship, McGrath wrapped up his junior year with a 2nd place in the 200 breaststroke, 4th place in the 400 medley relay, another 4th place in the 200 medley relay, 5th place in the 100 breaststroke, and 9th place in the 400 IM. McGrath wants to bring his team to another Championship.

Lafayette's men's swimming and diving team, who swam in a quad meet against Navy, American University, and Bucknell University last weekend, took the victory over American and are also looking for another win.

"Every year we take the Lafayette meet very seriously, and it is always one of our two most important meets of the season. They have had some strong improvements from years past, and look to be much more competitive," McGrath said.

Senior Julie Sicherman, a 2009 Patriot League Championship qualifier in the 400 medley relay and 100 fly, also stressed the importance of Lafayette meets.

"The energy is unlike anything you could imagine," Sicherman said. "If we lost every meet and still beat Lafayette, it would still be a huge accomplishment. Lafayette is our main goal, at championships and in our dual meet."

Senior Mark Ostapenko said the team follows a few pre-meet rituals. "We'll usually do a team pasta dinner Thursday night before the meet. It's a nice change of pace and traditionally symbolizes a big meet," Ostapenko said.

All three seniors emphasized the strength of their freshmen class and talked about them being a key part to the team.

Two freshmen, Emily DiDonato and Danielle Caruso, finished second and third in the 100 breaststroke in the Nov. 7 meet against Rider University and continued to place high in their meets.

In the 400 free relay against Rider, sophomores Priscilla Barletta and Paola Simon and freshmen Katie Brinkhoff and Katie Haycraft took first place.

"I would say that our strength is our depth. In past years, we may have had a standout swimmer or two that we would rely on to win races, but now if we do not win the race it has been very common to place 2nd, 3rd and 4th, which is key, especially during dual meet season," McGrath said.

Sicherman said she also sees the younger swimmers as vital team members.

"They are a huge asset to our team," Sicherman said. "They are really versatile and it is one of the main reasons we are doing awesome. They are full of energy, and really part of the team."

Senior Claire Winiarski said the Hawks training is bound to pay off. "We have definitely brought our training to a new level this year," Winiarski said. "It has been tough, but I'm looking forward to seeing my teammates surprise themselves in how fast they swim."

Head Coach Rob Herb, who is in his sixth season with the Hawks, has confidence in the squad. "We have been preparing the team for this meet since last year," Herb said. "This is always a big deal. We love to compete, especially against Lafayette. Jim Dailey, the coach of Lafayette, is my good friend and neighbor," said Herb.

According to Herb, it has always been a close match between the two teams. "The men have a 16 year run on Lafayette, and we are looking to extend this record," Herb said. "The women gained a win last year after several years of losses, and we hope to hold onto another win. It will come down to the depth of each team as well as the passion. It will be a battle."

Lehigh faces Lafayette in Jacobs Pool today at 3 p.m.