Swimmers hope to rebound in State College

Football not only big event this weekend, as swimmers face Penn State in first Big 10 meet

State College is going to host a tough competition between two talented rivals this weekend.

Oh yeah, there is a football game too.

The No. 9 Michigan swimming and diving team goes on the road to challenge defending Big Ten champions Penn State tomorrow. The Wolverines dropped from eighth in the national rankings after their 175-125 loss to No. 7 Georgia.

Michigan's loss makes them 1-1, but its record does not reflect their first place finish out of four teams in the Michigan Quadrangular. The Wolverines placed first in 11 of the 13 events for a total of 736 points. Eastern Michigan was a distant second with 539.

The Nittany Lions are unranked and not stacked with superstars, but Michigan coach Jon Urbanchek still views this meet as a challenge.

"They are a very good Big Ten-caliber team," Urbanchek said. "They have a lot of talent. They don't have the same elite swimmers that Michigan does, but they have a lot of depth."

Though the meet itself is not a lock, Urbanchek is sure that Michigan will win certain events. Junior All-Americans Chris Thompson and Scott Werner should run away with their events. Thompson races in the 1,650-yard and 500-yard freestyle and Werner competes in the breaststroke and Individual Medley. Thompson currently is ranked third in the world in the 800-meter free.

Urbanchek also has confidence in the freshmen to perform well in their Big Ten opener. He called Paul Ely, Tony Kurth, Garrett Mangieri and Ryan Earheart the "backbone of the freshmen class."

"I expect the freshmen to step it up," Urbanchek said. "They have had experience in national competitions, and some even in international. They are freshmen but definitely not rookies."

While Michigan expects to clean up on the long races, Urbanchek said Penn State is a sprint-oriented team.

The Lions could rack up points in the short races and relays.

Whatever the outcome, Urbanchek does not feel that the result will make or break the Wolverine's season.

"You focus in on one or two meets," Urbanchek said.

"The Big Ten Championship is the biggest event. These dual meets are sort of a stepping stone."

11-11-99